Celebrating your connections
by Family Councils Ontario
Throughout May, we’ve been gearing up for Family Council Week by exploring various aspects of the theme: strength in connectedness. To conclude our Strength in Connectedness series, let’s review ways to celebrate strength in connectedness, Family Council Week, and anything else worth celebrating!
FCO encourages Councils to show appreciate for and celebrate their work on an ongoing basis. Often, Council involvement brings joy and support to members, and incredible benefits to residents, families, and staff. Sometimes, Council work is difficult, stressful, and laden with emotion. For all of those reasons, it is important to celebrate your connections and big and small successes. Here are some ideas for celebrating your connections and success!
- Say Thank You! Simply saying thank you will go a long way towards recognising, strengthening, and celebrating your connections. When people feel appreciated for their efforts, they are more likely to feel a part of the group and to continue contributing to its success.
- Tip: Make a point to express appreciation at meetings. When a member or guest says or does something that contributes to the meeting or Council success, thank them!
- Staff appreciation: staff appreciation events or activities greatly strengthen your connections with home staff. Whether it’s individual or group based, showing appreciation for staff will improve your relationships with all staff in the home, from front-line to leadership staff.
- Tip: Consider holding a staff appreciation event for Family Council Week! Or, think of other ways to show appreciation e.g. treats available for all shifts, thank you cards signed by the Council members, self-care gifts like small bottles of lotion or stress balls.
- Special events: your Council members work hard to support families and improve quality of life of residents in your home. Consider holding a special event to thank them for their efforts. Popular ideas include a social tea, dinner at a local restaurant, or other fun event.
- Tip: whatever you choose to do, make it accessible (e.g. affordable and appropriate) for all members.
- Support home event: if your home is holding a special event for seniors’ month (or Family Council Week!), ask how the Council can support the event. Can your members staff a booth or assist in any way?
- Tip: leverage the skills and abilities of your Council members to support home events. Do any of your members have special skills or abilities they can utilize? Can someone do face painting or draw caricatures? Does someone have a connection with a local business and can obtain a donation of raffle items?Draw on your members’ abilities and connections to support Council and home events!
Whatever you choose to do to show appreciation and celebrate Family Council Week and its theme of Strength in Connectedness, know that showing appreciation in ways big and small will help your Council to be even more successful!
Let us know how your Council is celebrating Family Council Week! Email us at info@fco.ngo or share your ideas on Facebook!
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash