'Like to help': Somerset nursing home residents honored as advocates for peers

Apr. 28—SOMERSET, Pa. — When phone lines went down inside The Patriot in Somerset this week, Sue Kolok handed her cellphone to a fellow resident in need and spent her time gathering updates from staff about efforts to restore the service, she said.

Kolok is often one of the first people to meet new residents after they arrive, often apprehensive, about their new surroundings, she said.

"I like to help people," Kolok said, "and I want other residents to feel comfortable here."

On Thursday, Kolok was among 40 nursing home residents across Somerset County recognized for serving as in-house "PEER" leaders.

Each is a graduate of a statewide program aimed at ensuring that nursing home residents' needs are being met in all 13 facilities across the county — and beyond, across Pennsylvania.

PEER, or Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents, are people living in long-term care settings who are trained as advocates to improve the quality of life in those homes, Somerset County Ombudsman Coordinator Brenda Nicholas said.

That means turning to facility employees and supervisors to work out issues that a resident might be having with their meals, phone services, or even facility staff, among other troubles, "before situations get worse," she said.

"(The program) encourages a partnership between residents and facility and staff to work together," Nicholas added.

The program, originally launched more than 20 years ago by residents at Cambria County's then-nursing home Laurel Crest and the state's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office, has been growing across Somerset County for the past five years.

But with a nearly three-year COVID-19 interruption, this was the first chance to get the graduates together to highlight their efforts and give them a chance to meet, compare notes and mingle, she said.

The group gathered for the day inside the Somerset Church of the Brethren's fellowship hall on Berlin Plank Road and met with Neil Cody, a Bureau of Human Services licensing director for a region that encompasses Cambria, Blair and Somerset nursing homes, among others.

Cody noted that if issues can't be solved, many fall under their oversight and can be addressed through the state process.

When inspections or follow- up visits are warranted to correct deficiencies, state inspectors can meet with PEER to discuss the matter, he added.

Carey Brant, another The Patriot resident who graduated from the PEER training program, said he has enjoyed working with fellow residents to resolve problems.

"Usually, there's a way to iron problems out," said Brant, a four-year resident. "It's just a matter of figuring out what's going on. If I can do something about it, I will."

Jennifer Clark, the deputy administrator for the Somerset County Area Agency on Aging, praised the program — and Nicholas' efforts — saying it gives residents "a voice."

"If they feel their needs aren't being met, they have someone they can talk to," said Clark, whose agency delivers the funding for the Ombudsman partner program through state dollars.

Having a state-designated ombudsman in their corner helps PEERs feel empowered, she added.

Ombudsmen are volunteers from the community, working alongside PEERs to educate nursing home residents about their rights in the state-licensed facilities.

Dorrie Taylor, an ombudsman specialist, said the group is trying to recruit more volunteers into the program to expand it into more personal care facilities.

Somerset County Commissioners Pamela Tokar-Ickes and Colleen Dawson praised the group Thursday, crediting residents and fellow volunteers for their willingness to selflessly serve others.

"It takes a special person to step forward as a volunteer — and an even more special one to advocate for others," Tokar-Ickes said.

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