What's it like to be alone, often confused, and without control over your medical care, property, or even your daily routine? Ombudsman. What happens in nursing homes? is a vignette of life in long term care facilities: the good days, the hellish days, and the often insurmountable problems faced by the only group that represents the residents, the federally-mandated Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Council. The author describes 26 of the cases she investigated, and discusses the operation and the future of this program. Florida's volunteer ombudsmen effectively represented approximately 50,000 elders, or about 31 percent of the state's 163,000 long-term care residents in the fiscal year 2005-2006. Ombudsmen investigated complaints ranging from improper medication administration, poor menu quality and billing practices to exploitation, unattended symptoms, improper evictions, and matters of dignity and respect and, in addition, conducted 2,852 inspections of long-term care facilities.