Residents are supposed to have reasonable access to a telephone so that they can call the Ombudsman. Doesn’t the facility get to decide what reasonable means?
To a large extent, yes. Staff does not have to drop whatever they are doing and immediately get residents to a telephone whenever they ask to speak to an Ombudsman. For example, it is reasonable to wait until the end of a class, or until the next morning, when a resident asks to make a non-emergency call at bedtime. However, residents should always be allowed to call as soon as possible.
