How to advance culture change
Par Family Councils Ontario
Now that we have a deeper understanding of how Family Councils fit into the culture change movement and the principles of working together to advance culture change, let’s look forward and explore specific ways Councils can work to advance culture change within their local home and the broader long-term care sector.
First, understand the definition of culture change. According to the Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging, hosts of the Walk With Me Conference, “Culture change is an ongoing, holistic journey that includes re-examining values, beliefs, attitudes, language, practices and policies and working to implement the full range of efforts needed to transform the culture into a community where everyone thrives.” Reflect on this definition to deepen your understanding of culture change and how you can apply it to your efforts as a Family Council member.
Then, determine what it means for everyone in the community to thrive. What does it mean to residents? To families? Staff? Volunteers? Everyone will have a different take on what thriving means to them, but there will likely be common themes that all people will share. You can gather this information through a survey, discussion forum, focus group, or throughout Council meetings. As a Council, having this information means that you can plan your goals and activities with a mind to always advancing culture change and the various ways people thrive in your community.
Once you have a better idea of what it means to thrive within your LTC community, your Council can start to explore ways to make change the culture accordingly. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Help staff get to know residents better, including their life history, likes, dislikes, preferences etc… Ideas include memory boards or bios posted outside a resident’s door. This will help drive forward resident-centred care by helping staff to better know and understand the people for whom they care.
- Consider intergenerational activities and events that bring people of all ages together, such as choirs, art activities, reading programs, or outings. Not only will residents enjoy connecting with folks of all ages, but children and youth have much to gain from interacting with elders as well.
- Support knowledge exchange: Council members bring in a wealth of knowledge and information, and are often tuned in to new research and developments in LTC and aging. Share your knowledge widely to support advances in caring.
- Think about how you can support home staff to thrive. Professional caregivers also require caring and support so think about how you can help create a community where they too can thrive. Does your Council do staff appreciation events or activities? Do family members regularly thank staff for their hard work? Do you advocate on their behalf when appropriate? These things can all help your home's staff thrive.
- How does your Council help connect the home and its residents to the broader community? Do you talk openly about the home with community members? Do you seek opportunities to bring community members and groups into the home when appropriate? Collaborating with community groups and volunteers concerning activities for residents is a power given to Councils by the Long-Term Care Homes Act, but is also a great way to advance culture change!
- How does your Council connect with other groups in the home e.g. volunteers? Strengthening connections with others in the home is a great way to build community and support one another, which helps everyone to thrive.
- Combat ageism whenever you can. With a caring heart, seek opportunities to help eliminate ageism in their thoughts and actions. With grace and kindness, you can point out when an action taken or thought spoken reinforce ageist beliefs. It’s up to all of use to help change the culture of aging by eliminating ageism.
- Take care of yourselves. As caregivers, it can a challenge to find the time or energy to practice self-care, but a lack of self-care can make us more vulnerable to stress, illness, and burnout. Part of creating communities where everyone thrives is making sure that you yourself can thrive. Read and share our blog post on ways to practice self-care.
Above it, it is essential to commit to the process of changing culture. This is by no means an easy or quick task. Changing your home into a community where everyone- residents, families, staff, and volunteers- thrives will take time and won’t always be an easy task. Every journey is started with a single step but made up by many. What steps will you take today to advance culture change and thriving in your community?
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