We often invite staff, management, CEO and even Board members into the conversation to have a better understanding of our own community. We include education about the kinds of challenges our residents have and how we can better support them.

Family Council members use opportunities such as saying hello in hallways, making introductions at care home events and setting up an information table at the entrance of the care home to drive our engagement. We use an appreciative inquiry approach which begins and ends with what is being done well and visualizes the possibilities of what can be done better.

Family Councils try to shift the narrative by visualizing, by daring to dream about a future state and having discussion about what “can be” and less about complaining what isn’t. We focus on our common ground, our residents.

Families begin to see ourselves in our care home staff shoes.  We learn to understand what drives them and limits them.

We know continuous quality improvement and person-centered care are values in many care homes. We help bounce these values off the page and into reality.

Take recreational activities for example:  Recreational activities are typically planned for a demographic that existed in long-term care 10 years ago. Today’s resident critical and complex needs have drastically changed what recreation activities will best serve them. Choosing activities like pet and music therapy which can be brought to individual rooms can often better serve individuals as well as groups of residents.