2018 highlights
by Family Councils Ontario
With 2019 right around the corner, this is a good time to look back on all that has happened in 2018. Here are our 2018 highlights!
FCO growth
In the spring, FCO hired two new staff people! After operating as a two-person staff team for many years, it was incredible to bring on board Tiffany Fearon, Client Services Coordinator, and Natacha Dupuis, Bilingual Outreach Coordinator. They continue to use their skills and expertise to support Family Council members and long-term care home staff across Ontario and we are so thrilled to work with these incredible people.
Osteoporosis Knowledge Exchange project
In collaboration with GERAS and Osteoporosis Canada, FCO has developed resources for Family Councils to help increase awareness and knowledge of osteoporosis and fracture prevention. These resources are now available. We hope you find them useful and ask that you share them widely!
Supporting Families Research Project
In November 2017, we launched the “Supporting Families Project.” This project was brought about in response to growing concerns from both service providers (Social Workers and Social Service Workers) and caregivers about the availability and offerings of social service supports for families in Long Term Care. The report was published in June and coincided with a webinar on this topic hosted by the Bruyere CLRI. We have since launched a working group composed of long-term care Social Workers and Social Service Workers. This group is developing approaches to supporting and improving the availability and offerings of social service supports for families in long-term care. If you’re interested in learning more about this project or joining the working group, email Sam at speck@fco.ngo
Working Better Together: Conflict Resolution for Family Councils & Staff in Long-Term Care
Family Councils Ontario is excited to be working alongside St. Stephens Community House to provide a series of Conflict Resolution Training opportunities for Family Council Members, Administrators, and Staff in long-term care. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage hands on with great facilitators, participate in role play, and discuss common Family Council scenarios. We hope that this training will encourage individuals to navigate through conflicts effectively while fostering healthy relationships within their respective homes.
The first session was held in November 2018 and was an incredible experience. You can read more about the training on our blog. The next sessions will be in March 2019. Stay tuned for more information!
2018 conference: Intersections of mental health in LTC
For our 2018 biennial conference, we focused on mental health in LTC. Given what we know about the resident and family experiences in long-term care- for example, over 30% of residents have been diagnosed with depression (CIHI, 2018)- this theme was timely and relevant to attendees. Navigating Uncharted Waters: The Compassionate Caregivers Tips for Staying Afloat by Sandi Robinson provided the group with information on how we can maintain good physical and mental health while caring for others. This presentation, and all of the others, resonated deeply with the attendees and they left with tips and tools that will improve their experiences. You can read more in our day 1 and day 2 recaps.
Guest blog series
In 2018, we made mobilizing knowledge exchange a priority for our blog. Tiffany has worked hard to identify potential guest blog writers and solicit articles on relevant topics. Since September, we have published one guest blog per month and we will continue to do so through 2019. Guest blogs are a great way to support knowledge exchange with our sector partners and experts in the fields of long-term care, health, aging, and seniors. If you want to know more about our guest blog series, contact Tiffany at tfearon@fco.ngo.
Connecting with our partners to advance public policy and system planning
As in years past, FCO is committed to working with our partners to advance public policy and system planning. We continue to meet regularly with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as well as Behavioural Supports Ontario, the Ontario Centres for Learning Research and Innovation, and many others. To help us do this work, we need to hear from you. Get in touch with us to share your successes, challenges, and work. Email Sam at speck@fco.ngo to share your thoughts.
As our board and staff team look back on 2018, we feel so pleased by what has happened and are so excited for what is to come. Thank you to everyone who has participated in and supported our work to lead and support families in improving quality of life in long-term care. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Sources:
CIHI (2018). Profile of Residents in Residential and Hospital-Based Continuing Care, 2017–2018. Quick Stats. [online] Ottawa: CIHI. Available at: https://www.cihi.ca/en/quick-stats [Accessed 5 Dec. 2018].