Authentic Engagement
Par Family Councils Ontario
There are lots of ways that families/friends of residents and Family Councils are engaged in a Long-Term Care Home. Some of these ways are mandated by law (The Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007), such as Family Council being involved in developing, carrying out and acting upon the results of the annual Family and Resident Satisfaction Survey. Or, the Home licensee’s duty to consult regularly with the Family Council. These are things that must be done, by law, to engage with Family Councils. How to do this well, and what more can be done, involves thinking beyond what you have to do to what you can do. There is great opportunity for positive change and quality improvement when we start thinking through a lens of authentic engagement.
Authentic engagement occurs when both or all sides participate in a process or interaction that results in all parties feeling valued for their contributions (https://thoughtexchange.com/engagement-vs-involvement/). A key aspect of authentic engagement is mutual benefit. This is more than simply passing along information or asking for feedback on a questionnaire. The magic happens when everyone feels that their contributions have been valued and will make a difference in the end. Authentic engagement isn’t just one interaction- it’s an ongoing process. Authentic engagement is how we work together to give and receive feedback.
The lens of authentic engagement is useful both for relationships between the Home and Council, and within the Council. Relationships between Homes and Councils can improve when we start thinking about how to authentically engage with LTC community members during what we have to do (e.g. Satisfaction Surveys) and what we can do (e.g. having a Family Council member sit on a palliative care committee). Authentically engaging Family Council members- using a process whereby they feel that their contributions are meaningful and values- usually results in a more success process. The input provided will be sincere and thoughtful, relationships will be nurtured and strengthened, processes will be effective and efficient, and you are more likely to achieve your goals. True authentic engagement helps you to achieve a win-win outcome.
Councils themselves can benefit from thinking about and using authentic engagement within meetings, when working on projects, when processing concerns, and more.
Consider these tips for authentic engagement:
- Be clear: Be clear, open and transparent about the type, nature and parameters of the process or interaction. What exactly are you trying to accomplish? What is the goal of the project or meeting? What is in and out of scope for the committee or project?
- Ask: Ask questions regularly. Don’t presume to know the answers or feelings of anyone. Ask open-ended questions when appropriate to gain a more complete answer.
- Listen: Listen to understand, not just to respond. Listen and try to reserve judgment.
- Be open: Be willing to truly hear another person’s feelings, thoughts and perspectives. If someone is expressing behaviours that are less than positive and productive, try to understand possible motivations and address the behaviour. For more information, see Your Guide to Starting and Maintaining a Family Council pages 65-70.
- Engage regularly: Open an ongoing channel of communication.
- Verbal vs. nonverbal: approximately 93% of what we communicate to other is non-verbal. Not saying anything isn’t the same as not communicating. Strive to create a climate that is conducive for all participants to express themselves. Encourage, but do not insist, that people speak. Consider non-verbal ways for people to express their ideas.
- Understand emotions: Consider how an individual may be feeling about a situation or process. Be empathetic.
- Embrace diversity: Council members and LTC Home community members bring together people from a wide variety of lived experiences, backgrounds, skills, knowledge, beliefs, interests, and so on. Diversity is a strength that should be valued and promoted. For more on promoting diversity, see Your Guide to Starting and Maintaining a Family Council pages 61-62.
Authentic engagement is an ongoing process that helps us work better together and achieve better outcomes. It benefits families, residents and staff of LTC Homes. Ultimately, we all benefit when we authentically engage each other.