“Engaging Families, Changing Lives” Conference
by Family Councils Ontario
The Family Councils of Ontario Conference held on the 17 and 18 of June attracted Family Council members from across the province. We had two days of networking, education, celebration and problem solving but perhaps most important was people connecting with other each other.
What stands out for us was the amazing celebration of Council life. People were sharing with each other their lived experience of being a family caregiver, of going on the journey of having a loved one move into a Long-Term Care Home and the impact that transition had on their lives. The phrase “you are not alone” was definitely true for our 'Engaging Families, Changing Lives' 2015 Conference!
Perhaps in our two days together all the problems weren’t solved but coming together and sharing our stories and celebrating our work and learning new things gave everyone inspiration and a few new tools to try.
We are already thinking about next year. We are evaluating the event this year and look forward to building on the learnings of this past conference to make sure next year is even better.
If you haven’t done so already check out the photo albums of the conference on our Facebook page. The Conference Presentations and Discussion Recap Notes are available to download from the Conference page. For those of you who attended, share your experience with your Council and encourage others to come to the conference next year. For those of you who weren’t able to join us this year begin planning now to attend next year. We already have some great ideas in the works!
Sam and I want to thank everyone who had a hand in making this conference such a success and that is all the people who joined us for two days! We look forward to connecting with you over the next year. We know many Councils take time away over the summer months so we wish everyone all the best for a peaceful, restful summer.
- Lorraine Purdon, FCO Executive Director
(L: Samantha Peck. R: Lorraine Purdon)