Ohio Department of Aging
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2007
COLUMBUS - Beverley Laubert, the State Long-term Care Ombudsman, announced today that Detective Sgt. Dane Howard of the Huron County Sheriff's Department has been chosen as the State Ombudsman Excellent Advocate for the second half of 2007. Sgt. Howard was instrumental in the investigation and eventual arrest of Robert Wolfkill, who is accused of embezzling the life savings of an 84-year-old woman residing in a nursing home in Norwalk. Howard became involved in the case after a complaint came in to the regional ombudsman program in Mansfield.
"Regional Long-term Care Ombudsmen work with facilities and residents to resolve issues that often include allegations of exploitation," Laubert said. "While ombudsmen do not have policing powers, they do have strong and effective relationships with local law enforcement that can, and often do, lead to successful arrests and convictions in cases just like this one. Working together, we can keep every older Ohioan safe from abuse, neglect and exploitation."
In October, Lisa Marks, ombudsman staff at the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc., was notified that the victim was facing possible eviction from her nursing home because her power of attorney, Wolfkill, was not paying her patient liability and had failed to provide necessary documentation to the county Medicaid office.
Marks contacted Sgt. Howard, who immediately began inspecting the victim's financial records. Howard found that Wolfkill had befriended the victim and her late husband in 2004. Wolfkill cashed and spent the victim's Veteran's Administration checks, cashed in a life insurance policy, sold her home and used her personal needs allowance. A former police officer in Milan, Wakeman and New London, Wolfkill was the acting chief of the Kipton Police Department at the time of his arrest on August 7, 2007.
"It is easy to be discouraged by such tales of corruption and deceit. But dedicated law enforcement professionals like Sgt. Howard give us renewed hope," added Laubert. "Thank you, Sgt. Howard for not only being a champion for this woman, but also for all the citizens under your watch."
The Office of the State Long-term Care Ombudsman created the Excellent Advocate Award in 2005 to recognize individuals and organizations who significantly aid the ombudsman's mission to advocate for people receiving home care, assisted living and nursing home care. The award is given twice annually to nominees that meet one or more of the following criteria:
Nominations are accepted year-round and are reviewed each March and September. For more information, to request a nomination form or to learn more about the ombudsman program and how you can get involved, call toll-free 1-800-282-1206.
About the Office of the Long-term Care Ombudsman
Ohio's Office of the State Long-term Care Ombudsman, housed within the Ohio Department of Aging, works with consumers, service providers and other state and county agencies to resolve complaints about services, helps people select service providers, and offers information about benefits and consumer rights. The state office oversees twelve Regional Long-term Care Ombudsman programs and coordinates a network of trained volunteers who visit residents in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities and report any issues to the regional and state ombudsmen.
About ODA
The Ohio Department of Aging provides leadership for the delivery of services and supports that improve and promote quality of life and personal choice for older Ohioans, adults with disabilities, their families and their caregivers. Working with 12 area agencies on aging and other community partners, the department offers home- and community-based Medicaid waiver programs such as PASSPORT, the long-term care ombudsman program, the Golden Buckeye Card and more. Visit www.goldenbuckeye.com.
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Ohio Department of Aging