The importance of recording history
by Family Councils Ontario
As we approach our "LTC Change Makers: 20 years of Family Council excellence” conference we’re reflecting not only on our own 20-year history, but also the histories of Family Councils across Ontario. For decades, family members have gathered together to support one another, advocate for their loved ones living in long-term care, facilitate communication between home staff and families, and learn about issues affecting them and their loved ones. These groups evolved into Family Councils and saw changes in the sector such as the Long-Term Care Homes Act, redevelopment of long-term care homes, culture change that centres the voices and experiences of families and residents, and much more. Family Councils have witnessed history in the making.
Throughout all of these historic changes, FCO has been working alongside Councils and provided leadership and support in changing life in long-term care. And as we celebrate our 20-year history- first as Family Councils Project, then Family Councils’ Program and now Family Councils’ Ontario- we want to help you capture your Council’s history. Here are ways you can do that.
Meeting Minutes
Meeting minutes are one way to record history. Your Council’s meeting minutes are the record of what happened at a meeting. Minutes provide a record of decisions, key discussion points, and issues addressed. They are a great factual record of history and can be used to reflect on how issues have changed and evolved, review Council successes, and look back on what previous Councils in your home have done and worked on. You can learn from meeting minutes what has changed over time in your long-term care home, what Council has accomplished, and more. Meeting minutes can be more than documents that sit on a shelf or in a binder- they can be historical records! Consider reviewing as a group meeting minutes- for meetings as far in the past as possible- and reflect on what has been done, has changed, and been accomplished. When we learn from the history, we can do even better work in the present to affect the future.
Narratives
Interviews with Council members and home staff, newsletter articles, event recaps, and other historical narratives provide detailed and rich accounts of Council work. These documents not only share with others what your Council is doing now to support excellent resident quality of life and positive family experience, but when reviewed months, years, and even decades after the fact can be rich sources of information for current Council members. When you review these documents, you can ‘travel back in time’ and get valuable information about the needs, interests, and activities of previous Councils. You can learn from their work and use these details to inform your current activities. You can also reflect on previous successes and see the progress you have made as a Council. Consider creating these historical records for your Council to ensure that your work lives on well into the future and provides rich information for Council members who follow.
Photos
For good reason, people say that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Photos of events, projects, and other Council activities are a fantastic way to capture history! These visual records of history can truly show what a Council has done and worked on, and who has been involved in Council work. Through photos, you can truly show the impacts of Council work. Take photos at meetings and events. Post and distribute photos to share with others your work and successes. Look back at photos from the past and reflect on what these captured images of history can tell you about the moment and what you can learn from it. Reviewing this history- whether in photos or written form- can be a great activity for a Council so make sure to capture your history!
Share your history with us! We’re always looking for current stories and photos to share in our monthly ebulletin. At our upcoming conference, we want to share your histories, events, and successes. Send us your stories, historical accounts, and photos so we can celebrate the 20+ years of Family Council excellence (email Tiffany at tfearon@fco.ngo). And come celebrate with us! Find out more and register for the upcoming Change Makers conference.
Photo by Mr Cup / Fabien Barral on Unsplash