Woman says guardian wouldn’t allow her to play Bingo, so Dayton ombudman steps in

By The Ombudsman Office

Editor’s note: The Dayton Ombudsman Office provides weekly columns to the Dayton Daily News to bring awareness to issues it sees. The column was recently moved to the Ideas & Voices section to help readers identify solutions to common problems in their communities.

The Ombudsman Office received a phone call from a woman who knows the Ombudsman from our regular visits to the nursing home where she resides. The resident stated her guardian will not permit her to attend monthly Bingo at a local church and she does not believe it is fair. The resident shared that she has friends who attend Bingo and enjoys meeting with them once a month. The resident asked if an Ombudsman could help her attend Bingo each month.

The Ombudsman traveled to the nursing home, met with the resident and obtained her permission to investigate and advocate on behalf of the resident. The Ombudsman then met with the nursing home administrator (NHA) to determine what, if any, restrictions had been put in place by the guardian. The NHA explained the guardian contacted the nursing home in September and stated the resident was no longer permitted to leave the building without the guardian’s permission.

Thereafter, in October and November, the resident asked if she could attend Bingo at the local church. The nursing home staff contacted the guardian and asked if the resident could attend Bingo at the local church. The guardian stated the resident could not attend Bingo because it’s a waste of her money.

The Ombudsman then scheduled a meeting with the guardian and the resident. During the meeting, the Ombudsman explained to the guardian that Bingo was important to the resident, and she had made several friends who attend Bingo. The guardian stated he did not want the client to waste her limited income at Bingo and that he was trying to protect the resident.

The Ombudsman then informed the guardian that the resident spends less than $5 at Bingo and that she attends the event to socialize with her friends. The Ombudsman asked the guardian if the client agrees to spend $5 or less at Bingo, would he consent to her attending Bingo once a month at the church. At first, the guardian said it was a waste of $5 and the amount in question did not change his mind. The Ombudsman then explained the resident’s request to spend $5 in exchange for 3 hours of socialization with her friends was wholly reasonable.

The Ombudsman stated that if the guardian did not agree to at least give the resident a chance to attend Bingo on a $5 budget, a complaint would have to be submitted to the Probate Court. The guardian then asked what the nature of the complaint would be. The Ombudsman explained the complaint would focus on the guardian’s failure to consider the wishes of the resident and that there was no evidence the resident was unreasonably spending her money.

The Ombudsman received a call from the guardian the following day and he stated he just informed the nursing home the resident was permitted to attend Bingo at the local church. The guardian also stated the client could spend no more than $10 per month for Bingo. The guardian stated he thought the client was spending $30 each time she attended Bingo, but he confirmed the resident only spent $5 per month at Bingo. The Ombudsman then contacted the resident and informed her the guardian had agreed she could attend Bingo and she could spend up to $10 per month at Bingo. The resident laughed and said spending more than $5 would be a waste of her money, but she was excited to be able to see her “Bingo friends” every month.

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Woman says guardian wouldn’t allow her to play Bingo, so Dayton ombudman steps in