Enhancing Care, Enhancing Life: Administrator and Staff Assistant Views
Par Family Councils Ontario
This is part 3 in our series of posts on the Change Foundation Resident Councils and Family Councils Project report.
Working together in partnership and a spirit of collaboration with Long-Term Care Home staff is essential to the success of a Family Council. The old adage “you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar” applies in a multitude of situations and family involvement in LTC is no different. When we work together as a team in pursuit of a common goal, we are much more likely to achieve that goal. Continuing our series on the Change Foundation’s report Enhancing Care, Enhancing Life, developed in partnership with OANHSS, OLTCA, OARC and FCO, this week we’ll be discussing highlights from the Sub-Report: Administrator and Staff Assistant Views of Residents’ Councils and Family Councils in Ontario Long-Term Care Homes.
Building a strong, positive relationship with the Home staff is an important factor in building a strong, effective Family Council. When asked about their relationship with the Family Council, 50% of staff assistants and administrators felt they have a positive relationship with the council, 8% said the relationship is neutral, and 2% thought the relationship is negative. A large proportion (40%) did not answer the question. With such a large number of respondents not answering the question, it’s challenging to draw conclusions however, we can use this information to support the view that most Councils have positive relationships with their Home staff. If your Council is looking to improve its relationship with Home staff, we have tips for you:
- Consider holding regular meetings with your Administrator/staff assistant to discuss news and issues
- Start each Council meeting with a positive Round Robin: go around the table and ask each person to share one positive thing that has happened in their life since the last meeting. This will set the tone for the rest of the meeting!
- Clarify expectations and needs for the Council and the Administrator/Staff Assistant: clarity will help you to determine what each side expects/needs from the relationship
- Always show kindness, consideration, empathy and respect; building an effective relationship starts with a strong foundation of actively positively and respectfully towards one another
Family respondents, as discussed in the Sub-Report: Family Member Views of Family Councils in Ontario Long-Term Care Homes, and staff respondents agree on the main roles of a Family Council: enhancing quality of life for residents, information sharing, and enhancing quality of care for residents. This demonstrates clear alignment between the views of the families and staff as to what a Family Council does in the Home. This is very helpful in building a relationship as it makes clear the views and expectations of each party. This is also useful to discuss with your Home’s Administrator and staff: are you both clear and in agreement on the roles of the Council? Being clear about what your purpose, goals, and activities will help to gain understanding of and support for your work. Keeping your Administrator/Staff Assistant in the loop also helps to build a culture of openness and transparency, both of which help foster positive relationships.
As per the Long-Term Care Homes Act, staff can only attend Council meetings upon invitation. Understanding of this by staff was evident in the report. Having this be clear and followed is essential for Council to have a safe space to discuss family concerns, feelings and challenges. So too is for staff to feel welcome to attend Council meetings when invited. Just over half (52%) of staff assistants and administrators said they feel welcome at the Family Council meetings compared to the 6% who said they do not. Creating a culture of inclusion and appreciation for staff attending meetings is important to facilitate information sharing and effective problem solving. Be clear with your Administrator/Staff Assistant about when, for how long, and why you want them to attend your meeting. Be clear about the type of information or discussion you’re looking for and show appreciation for their attendance at your meeting. Thank them for attending and supporting your group. While Councils are autonomous groups, working in a spirit of partnership and collaboration with the Home staff is important for success.
Next week we’ll discuss more highlights from the Sub-Report: Administrator and Staff Assistant Views of Residents’ Councils and Family Councils in Ontario Long-Term Care Homes, specifically the impact of Family Councils. To share your thoughts on the Enhancing Care, Enhancing Life reports, join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCouncilsOntario/