About Us

ECC begin after our primary Geriatric Care Manager had worked in the aging field for over 15 years in two different states and saw the void within the community.  

 



Valerie Hopson-Bell developed the first local long-term care Ombudsman* program in the Fredericksburg area in 1999. She has been hailed as a respected, fair and highly effective advocate for the aging community. Ms. Hopson-Bell has been trained in all aspects of long-term care: Elder Abuse, Residents' Rights, Resolving concerns in LTC facilities, Receiving care in the home setting, Cultural Change in LTC, Professional mediation, Natural Disaster/Emergency Preparedness Procedures, Federal and State regulations regarding Long-term Care, Medicare, Medicaid, and Long-Term Care Insurance.


Prior to moving to the Fredericksburg area, Ms. Hopson-Bell began her career in aging in 1992 as an Activity Director at an Adult Care Home in Burlington, North Carolina for clients ranging in age from 19 years old to 94 years young.

While working at the Adult Care Home, Valerie finished her undergraduate degree in Human Services, with an emphasis in Gerontology at Elon University. During her senior year at Elon, she studied the human services system of England, Scotland and The Netherlands. She began her professional career at Alamance ElderCare, Inc., which offered care assistance and case management to seniors, to assist them in remaining independent.

After being appointed by the Alamance County Board of Commissioners as a volunteer long-term care ombudsman, she was hired as a Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman for Region G in Greensboro, NC and was soon promoted to Lead Ombudsman where she supervised the Regional LTC Ombudsman and 98 volunteers, monitoring over 300 facilities in six counties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Ombudsman is a Swedish word meaning citizen representative or advocate. Long-term care ombudsmen serve as advocates for older persons receiving long-term care services. Local Ombudsmen provide older Virginians and their families with information, advocacy, complaint counseling, and assistance in resolving care problems.