CALA News & Views | Issue 46 | Relationships

A CONVERSATION WITH

Ombudsman Blanca Castro

I n December 2021, Gov, Newsom appointed Blanca Castro of Lincoln, CA as State Long-Term Care Ombudsman at the California Department of Aging. The role of the long-term care Ombudsman is unique and different from any other program funded by the Older Americans Act and Older Californians Act. Ombudsman representatives work solely at the request and wishes of the resident in a licensed LTC facility. At the present time, there are 1,206 nursing home facilities and 7,475 residential care facilities for the elderly, which include larger assisted living facilities, and board and care homes. CALA News & Views recently sat down with Ombudsman Castro to talk about her role and what her goals are. Thank you taking the time out of your busy schedule. Please tell us about your background and professional history. I am a first-generation immigrant from Mexico and arrived with my mother and two sisters from Mexico City at the age of one. I was raised in the San Gabriel Valley and attended public schools. I am one of six children and was the first to graduate from college at UC Berkeley in 1981.

It’s important to mention that my professional path was strongly influenced by significant events in my life as many people may be able to relate. At the young age of 39, my mother had a massive stroke that left her paralyzed on the left side of her body. I was 15 and was catapulted into the role of a caregiver, when I didn’t even know what that word meant. In the 1970s, when my mother had her stroke and was placed in a skilled nursing facility/rehabilitation center in Los Angeles County, there were no supportive services for family members to be educated on the impact that a stroke survivor would face, and the various behavioral changes that my mother would go through. I believe it was this major life event, which planted the seed to become an informed advocate serving people who were at a disadvantage of understanding the choices they could make, if they only had the information in a language and culture they could understand. When did your career in public policy begin? My professional career in public policy and administration began after I completed the Coro Fellows Program in Los Angeles. I was just re-entering the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for eight years with my three sons. The Coro Fellows Program is a post-graduate program that trains people interested in public service to develop skills as effective and ethical leaders using the democratic process.

CALIFORNIA ASSISTED LIVING ASSOCIATION 4