Pauline Sproul Honored

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: MARGARET WOOVIS
EXEC DIRECTOR, Montachusett Home Care Corporation
TELEPHONE: 1-800-734-7312

FEBRUARY 7, 2002

Leominster - The longest serving Long Term Care Ombudsman in the country hung up her many hats after 25 years this past week.
Pauline Sproul, 86, of Bolton was honored for her years of service by the National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform and the National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center, the State, and Montachusett Home Care/Consumer Advocates for Better Care of Leominster, for whom she has volunteered since 1977, at a gathering in MHCC's conference room last Thursday morning.
Sproul started as a Vista Volunteer 25 years ago, the predecessor to all volunteer programs, when the Ombudsman program for Nursing Home Care was in its infancy. She began serving at a time when the idea for LTC Ombudsman was brand new and not always well received by facilities, according to MHCC Ombudsman Coordinator Diane Reed.
Assigned to as many as six facilities in the area, Sproul's last assignments were with Coachlace Nursing Home, River Terrace Nursing Home, Chnton Home for Aged People, and Ferguson's Rest Home. She' made visits to each of these facilities at least once a week. Her responsibilities, as with all ombudsman in the program, were to address with administrators and staff of the facility complaints from residents about their care, as well as monitor the establishment for cleanliness, safety, and environmental issues.
Those complaints not addressed within the facility, Sproul would refer back to MHCC/CABC's staff to help in resolving them.
Reed worked with Sproul for 11 years and had only praise for her commitment to the residents she served. "Pauline is tenacious and faithful to her job and has stuck with it through a lot of changes m long term care" over the years, she commented. One turbulent change she recalls came out of the 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act, which reduced restraint use in LTC facilities. "Mat was a frustrating time, but we all came through to the other side" including Sproul.
Part of the Green Thumb Volunteer Program, Sproul usually worked 20 hours a week for the program, and only recently reduced that time to 15 hours a week.
At Thursday's gathering, Sproul was recognized by the National Ombudsman Resource Center. In a letter to Sproul, Alice H. Hedt, director of the center, noted there are nearly 1000 paid ombudsman and 8000 certified volunteer ombudsman working to serve residents in long term care facilities across the country. Sproul was the longest serving of those volunteers.
Margaret Woovis, MHCC Executive Director, and Mary McKenna, Executive Office of Elder Affairs State Ombudsman were both on hand to share comments and congratulations to Mrs. Sproul. Sproul was also presented a special certificate from the NCCNHR, a national, non?profit membership organization founded in 1975 and a citation from Acting Governor Jane Swift at the event.
Sproul's "retirement" from volunteering for the LTC Ombudsman's program becomes official in March.

THE ELDER SERVICE AGENCY FOR NORTH CENTRAL M4SSACHUSETTS