"LTC Change Makers: 20 Years of Family Council Excellence" – Day 1 Conference Recap
by Family Councils Ontario
By Tiffany Fearon
What a way to start the summer!
FCO's “LTC Change Makers: 20 Years of Family Council Excellence” held June 12-13 2019 was quite the celebration. The two-day event included informative presentations, engaging breakout sessions, evening banquet, and of course the Outstanding Family Council Member of the Year Award ceremony.
The theme of the conference was well thought out by the FCO team many months ahead. This year’s Family Council Week and conference were both dedicated to recognizing the many individuals who have contributed to the changing landscape of the long-term care sector. Families, residents, and LTC home staff all deserved to be acknowledged for their hand in making Family Councils 20 years strong.
The conference kicked off with thoughtful opening remarks made by the Honorable Minister Raymond Cho. The Minister, equipped with light hearted humor, opened the day with positivity and exuberance. Brian Pollard, Assistant Deputy Minister (MOHLTC), followed shortly after to bring greetings from the Ministry and share encouraging words for those in attendance.
The first presentation of day 1 from the Patient Ombudsman Office included a breakdown of the various types of concerns that are reviewed by their office and case studies which included helpful suggestions for families and residents. It was a pleasure to have Executive Director of the Patient Ombudsman Craig Thompson and members of his team deliver practical best practices for attendees to take back to their respective homes.
The second presenter for the day, Dave Fasano, a member of the Minister’s Patient Family Advisory Council, gave an expressive presentation as he discussed the Council’s work, learnings, and his own personal experiences with resident care. A live fireside chat facilitated FCO’s Samantha Peck and OARC Executive Director Dee Lender proved to be an enlightening forum to discuss various ways to strengthen patient partnership and collaborations between organizations.
After a delicious lunch, attendees were given the opportunity to attend one of three breakout sessions lead by Alzheimer Society Toronto, FCO, and McMaster PhD candidate Pamela Durepos. It was delightful to hear the great feedback from all sessions! The final presentation for the day was a great display of teamwork from FCO and OARC as presenters Tiffany Fearon (FCO Client Services Coordinator) and Melissa McVie (OARC Education and Home Support Facilitator) highlighted key distinctions between Family and Residents’ Councils and meaningful ideas for Family Councils and Residents Councils to collaborate and encourage home engagement.
Day 1 come to a close but the fun didn’t stop there! This year’s evening banquet was extra special this year as the FCO staff team, FCO Board, and guests celebrated with dinner and special celebration cake. What better way to work off dinner than with a lot of laughter? Laughter Yoga facilitator Lillian Saggiorato had everyone on their feet and in hysterics (literally) as she explained the practice and benefits of laughter yoga. No better way to describe the session than with the statement “Very good, very good, yayyyy!”
To wrap up the day, FCO Executive Director Lorraine Purdon delivered a touching speech to describe the efforts of longstanding FCO supporter Eleanor Ryan, the recipient of this year's Outstanding Family Council Member Award. Eleanor, a Family Council member and former Chair of the Champlain Region Family Council Network (CRFCN) was nominated by her peers for her dedication to improving the quality of life of people living in long-term care and the family experience. FCO is happy to recognize and honor Eleanor for her work and devotion to residents in LTC and their families.
The first day of our conference was definitely one to remember! Stay tuned for a recap of day 2 in our next blog post!
