Strengthening the connections between your Council and others
by Family Councils Ontario
While a Family Council is an autonomous group-- a status that affords many important legal and procedural benefits-- a Council cannot fully realize its potential without connecting with other home partners. A Council could carry out its work and powers under the Act in isolation, but that would limit its impact and success. To truly realize your Council’s vision, it is essential to connect with home staff and residents.
LTC home staff can be incredible allies and supporters of your Council’s work. Strong, respectful, and collaborative connections with home staff can go a long way towards success in Council operations—from recruitment to events, quality improvement and problem solving initiatives, meeting logistics, and more. While Councils are autonomous groups and not subject to oversight or supervision by home staff, Councils are much more effective when they have positive relationships with staff that allow for open conversations about family concerns, home challenges and situations, and how to work together to effect positive change. For example, all home staff can help promote your Council to new families and those who may be struggling but they can only do this well when they know who you are and what you do, and have a positive perception of the Council. And they can only have this information and perception when they have a connection with your Council. There is incredible strength in strong connections with home staff, from front line PSWs to upper management and administration.
In order to carry out your mission of improving the quality of life of residents, your Council must connect with residents. Only by appreciating residents’ experiences, issues, wishes, preferences, and joys can you understand what is needed to help improve their quality of life. To truly realize the strength in connectedness with residents, ensure that your Council has open and ongoing communication with the Residents’ Council, seek a deep understanding of your loved one’s experience, and only speak for residents if they cannot speak for themselves. It is also important to understand that the family experience is different from the resident experience and to not conflate or confuse the two. When you have a strong connection with the residents living in your Council’s home, you will be much better able to carry out your work.
Another important benefit of having a strong connection with the Residents’ Council is the opportunity to work on shared activities. When you have ongoing and open communication with the Residents’ Council you can give and receive assistance with events, activities, projects, or quality improvement initiatives in ways that respect the autonomy and different perspectives of each group while at the same time leveraging the skills, experiences, and capacities of both groups. When appropriate, it can be an incredible opportunity to work together and utilize the strength in connectedness.
We hope that this month’s blog series has provided you with information and encouragement to find and build on your Council’s strength in connectedness. Stay tuned for next week’s issue wrapping up the series!
Don’t forget to buy tickets to attend our Family Council Week event: I’m Still Here! play and discussion. Full details and ticket purchasing information can be found on the event page.