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The Cleveland-Area Ombudsman and Filing Complaints

Two different systems: the free, independent ombudsman, and the Ohio Department of Health complaint line. Here is when to use each.

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Home›Ohio Rules›The Cleveland-Area Ombudsman and Filing Complaints

The Cleveland-area long-term care ombudsman

Short answer

Ombudsmen advocate for nursing home and assisted living residents, free and confidential. Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties are Region 10A, operated by the Long-Term Care Ombudsman of Cleveland at 1-800-365-3112. Summit and Portage counties are a different region, 10B, operated by Direction Home Akron Canton.

Ombudsmen advocate for residents of nursing homes and residential care facilities (assisted living and memory care), investigating complaints about care quality, residents' rights, improper transfer or discharge, restraint use, and abuse or neglect. Ohio's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is administered through the Ohio Department of Aging and delivered through regional offices. Services are free and confidential, and an ombudsman acts only with the consent of the resident or their representative.

Region 10A — Eastern Lakefront (Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina)

  • Operator: Long-Term Care Ombudsman of Cleveland (LTCO)
  • Phone: 1-800-365-3112
  • Address: 8111 Rockside Rd., Suite 250, Valley View, OH 44125
  • Website: http://www.ltco.org/
Summit and Portage are a different region. Summit and Portage counties are covered by a different regional office, Region 10B (Akron/Canton Area), operated by Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities, not by Region 10A. Region 10B also covers Stark and Wayne counties. Region 10B phone: 1-800-421-7277, address: 1949 Town Park Blvd., Uniontown, OH 44685.

A phone number of 1-800-282-1206 appears in some general search results for Ohio's ombudsman program but could not be verified against a primary source. Do not use it without confirming directly with aging.ohio.gov.

Source: Ohio Region 10A Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Reporting abuse or neglect in Ohio

Short answer

Ohio Adult Protective Services is administered county by county, not through one statewide hotline. In Cuyahoga County, call the Division of Senior and Adult Services at 216-420-6700, a 24-hour reporting line. Elsewhere in this site's 7 counties, contact your county's Job and Family Services department, or use the statewide fallback at 855-644-6277 (855-OHIO-APS).

Ohio Adult Protective Services is state-supervised by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) but administered county by county. Unlike Texas, there is no single statewide 24-hour hotline number; each county's Job and Family Services (JFS) or Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS) agency runs its own APS intake.

Cuyahoga County

  • Cuyahoga County Division of Senior and Adult Services (DSAS): 216-420-6700. 24-hour reporting line for abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and financial exploitation of adults age 60 and older in Cuyahoga County.
  • Website

Lake, Lorain, Medina, Geauga, Summit and Portage counties

Lake, Lorain, Medina, Geauga, Summit, and Portage counties each run their own county JFS or DJFS Adult Protective Services intake rather than sharing Cuyahoga's number. Families in those counties should contact their county Job and Family Services department directly to find the correct local reporting line.

Statewide fallback: 855-OHIO-APS, 855-644-6277. Statewide online portal and backup number maintained by ODJFS. Use this if you cannot immediately identify the correct county contact, but a direct call to the county agency is usually faster for an active safety concern. Online portal

Emergency: Call 911 if someone faces immediate risk of death or serious harm.

Abuse or neglect occurring inside a licensed nursing home or residential care facility should also be reported to the Ohio Department of Health complaint line at 1-800-342-0553, in addition to or instead of county APS, since facility-based care is an ODH licensing matter.

Which one to call

The long-term care ombudsman and the Ohio Department of Health complaint line do different jobs, and using one does not preclude the other. The ombudsman advocates for a resident and can attend a care conference with you, but does not license, inspect or fine a facility. ODH investigates regulatory complaints and can take enforcement action, but is not an advocate for an individual resident's preferences the way an ombudsman is.

The consent rule

An ombudsman acts only with the consent of the resident or their legal representative. This surprises adult children. If a parent has capacity and does not want a complaint pursued, that decision stands, even where family disagrees with it.

If you are told your parent must leave

Call your region's ombudsman before you agree to anything or sign a move-out notice. This is exactly what the office exists for, it is free, and it is independent of the Ohio Department of Health.

Questions Cleveland families ask

Is reporting abuse different for a facility resident versus someone living at home in Ohio?

Yes. Abuse or neglect inside a licensed nursing home or residential care facility should be reported to the Ohio Department of Health complaint line (1-800-342-0553), since facility-based care is an ODH licensing matter, while abuse or neglect of someone living at home goes to county Adult Protective Services, 216-420-6700 in Cuyahoga County, or the relevant county JFS/DJFS agency elsewhere.

What happens after someone files an Adult Protective Services report in Ohio?

Once a county APS agency, such as Cuyahoga County's Division of Senior and Adult Services, receives a report, caseworkers assess the situation, which may include a home visit, interviews, and coordination with law enforcement or medical providers if warranted. Outcomes range from connecting the individual with support services to, in serious cases, pursuing legal intervention such as guardianship; APS acts to protect the adult's safety while respecting their right to make their own decisions where they have capacity to do so.

What should I expect from discharge planning at Cleveland Clinic's main campus?

Cleveland Clinic's discharge planning is handled by case managers and social workers, and the main campus operates a Departure Lounge specifically to help coordinate a patient's transition out of the hospital. Cleveland Clinic also operates additional regional hospitals throughout Northeast Ohio beyond the main Euclid Avenue campus, so discharge processes can vary slightly by location.

How does discharge planning work at University Hospitals in Cleveland?

University Hospitals, an integrated network of 21 hospitals and more than 50 health centers across 16 counties in northern Ohio with UH Cleveland Medical Center as its flagship, typically begins case management review within 24 hours of admission according to its "Going Home" discharge materials. This early start is meant to give families more lead time before an actual discharge date is set.

What does discharge planning look like at MetroHealth?

MetroHealth, Cuyahoga County's safety-net health system with five hospitals, four emergency departments, and more than a dozen health centers, handles discharge planning through its Social Work department, centered at its main campus, home to the county's Level I Adult Trauma Center. Families should expect Social Work staff to coordinate post-discharge needs including home care referrals, rehab placement, or facility transitions.

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