Health and wellness month: putting ideas into practice
by Family Councils Ontario
Throughout this month, we’ve been discussing health and wellness as they apply to Family Councils. To wrap up our blog series, this entry will highlight ways Councils can put these ideas into practice.
Learn about health issues affecting residents and families by inviting a guest to speak at a Council meeting
For example, if your Council is interested in learning more about osteoporosis and falls, Council could invite someone from Osteoporosis Canada to learn more about osteoporosis, someone from the Alzheimer’s Society to learn more about dementia and falls, or have the home’s Dietary manager speak to the Council on how menus are developed to ensure that residents get enough calcium and Vitamin D. As one of the main Family Council goals is education, guest speaker presentations are valuable activities for any Council to undertake.
Have an interactive and educational event!
One way to help educate families and friends of residents on health and wellness issues is to host (or co-host) an interactive and educational event! Past events Councils have hosted or supported include: a healthcare services expo featuring local service providers whose programs and services may be of interest to residents’ families (the therapy dogs were a big hit!); an aging simulation suit that simulates what it’s like to live with age-related issues; yoga and massage events; and, cooking events where families get a hands-on demonstration of how residents’ meals are planned and prepared. All of these events give families and friends of residents a deeper understanding of health and wellness related issues in a fun, interactive manner.
Practice self-care
“Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health.”1 To promote and practice self-care, a Council could have a guest speaker on the topic; take a group outing (something even as simple as a group walk can do wonders for our mental, emotional, and physical health!); discuss self-care ideas and tips at a Council meeting; organize a yoga or massage event for families, residents, and staff; or, do a group book study. Whatever you choose to do, supporting the mental, emotional, and physical health of families will help them in their roles as caregivers and Family Council members.
Share your health and wellness tips with us on Facebook!
We hope you have enjoyed our health and wellness series! If you have ideas for future blog posts or series, send your thoughts to info@fco.ngo!
Source:
1: https://psychcentral.com/blog/what-self-care-is-and-what-it-isnt-2/