Our Long-Term Care Ombudsman volunteers play a vital role in protecting the rights, dignity, and well‑being of older adults living in long-term care and residential care facilities across Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties.

Working alongside Long-Term Care Ombudsman program staff, these trained volunteers help investigate and resolve concerns raised by—or on behalf of—residents in nursing homes, assisted living communities, and residential care facilities for the elderly.

Leonardo Camacho is a gerontology volunteer intern from California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). Now in his second semester with the OMB Program, he is set to complete his Bachelor of Science, Gerontology (BSG) at CSUS next month. Leonardo is currently training as Intake staff and will be providing coverage during staff vacations, as well as assisting with general facility visits. He has successfully completed the 50‑hour mandated Ombudsman certification training and is now a California State Certified Ombudsman.

Pamela Nelson is an outstanding Ombudsman Program volunteer who also serves as a Member-at-Large on the Agency’s Advisory Council, representing Sacramento County. She has been an enthusiastic ambassador for the program, recently recruiting a new volunteer. 

Robyn Payne is the second longest-serving Ombudsman Program volunteer, now entering her sixth year of dedicated service. Widely regarded as our resident expert on Advanced Health Care Directives (AHCD), Ms. Payne has generously expanded her support by assisting with information and assistance requests and conducting general facility visits while we continue to recruit new regional team members. Her contributions over the past year have been extraordinary. Ms. Payne completed 448 AHCDs for the Ombudsman Program. This is an unparalleled achievement! Remarkably, she completed 164% more AHCDs than all PSA-4 ombudsmen combined during the same period.

Darla Neeley joins our team as a retiree from the State of California, where she previously served in the State’s Long‑Term Care Ombudsman Program. She became a Certified Ombudsman on 30 January 2026 and has already proven to be an invaluable asset to our Placer County Ombudsmen. Darla is generous with her time and consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to enhancing the quality of life for our long‑term care residents.

Ann Zonderman exemplifies exceptional volunteerism. In addition to her service on the Agency Advisory Committee, she has been an invaluable contributor to the LTC OMB Program, marking her one‑year anniversary with the program this month. Ann consistently excels in conducting facility visits, completing data entry, and demonstrating unwavering commitment to our mission. We are truly fortunate to have such a dedicated and high‑performing volunteer as part of our team.

Kathy Freeman (not pictured) is our longest‑serving Ombudsman Volunteer, joined the Agency on August 25, 2019. She has been with us longer than nearly all current Ombudsman staff and continues to set an exceptional standard of service. Kathy independently manages cases, provides information and assistance, and completes all general facility visits for the entire Sierra Nevada Region. Her expertise is widely recognized, and she has been invited by the State Office to share her knowledge and participate on conference panels. Kathy’s experience and depth of understanding are unparalleled. She remains an invaluable asset to our organization. Quite simply, we could not do this work without her.

Thank you to Leo Camacho, Pamela Nelson, Robyn Payne, Darla Neeley, Ann Zonderman, and Kathy Freeman for the meaningful difference you make every day.