A New Day for Residents’ Councils in Long-Term Care Homes
by Family Councils Ontario
This week's blog post is a guest post from Dee Lender, the Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Residents' Councils.
A new day? What does that mean?
Residents’ Councils are designed to be the “Collective Voice” of residents living in LTC homes. By way of supportive legislation and significant social efforts to change the culture of care in LTC homes, Residents’ Councils are equipped with distinct powers and roles, are autonomous from the operations of the LTC homes, and are imbedded into the quality improvement framework of each and every LTC home.
In any given LTC home, 60-70% of residents are living with dementia and/or other cognitive changes, this of course poses numerous challenges for them in speaking for themselves, and contributing in a traditional Council. As we acknowledge this new reality of resident landscape within our LTC homes, it becomes evidently clear that the time has come for the LTC community to embrace a new way of visioning Residents’ Councils. We must be willing to reconsider, or redefine how we look at Residents’ Council. Me must be willing to work together to ensure that the decisions, celebratory items and concerns raised within Residents’ Councils, best represent the collective voice of all people living in the home.
The overarching philosophical shift needed, is twofold and the ideas are dependent upon one another. Together we recognize that:
- the Residents’ Council is not defined by the one hour meeting each month
- the Residents’ Council is made up of each and every person living in the home, not just the few people who gather for the one hour meeting each month.
The formal one hour meeting each month is necessary and it is good. However, there are many challenges when trying to execute a meaningful and representative meeting, that guides many important decisions in the home, when the vast majority of residents in the home are living with dementia. This forum can work effectively and reliably, when those who gather for the meeting are well equipped through connection, relationship and empathy with their co-residents. How is this achieved and nurtured? There is no single solution. The thoughtfulness and creativity of each LTC community will create multiple opportunities to tap into the full personhood of each and every resident, so that the Residents’ Council can operate in a strong, unified way. Perhaps there are opportunities for residents to visit one another in small, intimate settings. Residents have voiced their eagerness to learn about dementia and to use strategies to live engaged lives together with fulsome understanding of how people are affected by dementia and other conditions. Perhaps family members and friends can work alongside residents in sharing details about their loved ones who can no longer speak for themselves or articulate important preferences. Although the Council meetings themselves are to remain separate (Family and Residents’ Council), there is value in sitting together on other occasions, to explore opportunities to forge relationships, empathy, understanding and compassion, keeping the common goal of providing the best quality of living possible for every resident, in mind. The profile of residents in LTC homes is changing.
As time moves on, we will see more and more people living with significant challenges that will inhibit their ability to be involved in a traditional Council meeting. The success of our Residents’ Councils in the future depends on our commitment to be the innovative thinker now. It is our responsibility together, today to create systems, unconventional approaches and opportunities for residents to be known, respected and represented.
- Dee Lender