Regional Long Term Care Resident Family Advisory Council

We strive to constantly improve the care our residents receive. Our priority is resident-and family-centered care (RFCC) consisting of health care that is respectful, compassionate and focuses on the resident and family needs, values and beliefs.

The Regional Long-Term Care Resident and Family Advisory Council was established in 2019 to guide and to help ensure the best resident experience within our facilities and services. We are a small group of family and resident volunteer advisors for the long-term care program. The council meets monthly has representation from various parts of the region. Resident and family advisors partner with staff in the long-term care program to help improve the quality of care for all residents and family members.

The council holds a philosophy of care that views residents and families using health services as equal partners in planning, developing, monitoring and evaluating care to make sure their health needs are met. We foster care that is respectful, compassionate, culturally-safe, and competent. The council considers the needs, values, beliefs and preferences of residents and their family members, and it works in partnership with them to develop appropriate solutions and to ensure that resident and family values are reflected in clinical decisions.

We want to build on our successes, and we will continue to foster partnerships with residents and families to work on our mutual goal of providing the best possible care with the resources we have available to us.

Our Work

Our council has worked to identify their priorities and establish a strategy to address them, in alignment with our long-term care program. The main two priorities are:

1. Improved resident/family engagement and
2. meaningful involvement

Our regional advisors participate in planning, implementing and evaluating quality improvement initiatives including, appropriate use of antipsychotic medications long term care, policy review, resident and family information resource review, and review of the goals of the Eastern Health Strategic plan for Long–Term Care .

Our Regional Advisory Council have established mechanisms to ensure our regional council is connected to site-specific long term care resident family councils and that there is two way communication. In addition, our advisors

• participate in planning and client surveys;
• improve communication between resident, families and staff; and to
• attend meetings, planned events, learning opportunities, or focus groups.

Eastern Health partners with resident and family advisors on a number of Advisory Councils and areas throughout the region. We also work with e-advisors on a number of short-term initiatives. Learn more about Client and Family-Centred Care.

Terms of Reference

The Long-Term Care Resident and Family Advisory Council is guided by their established Terms of Reference, which includes a clear purpose, objectives and meeting principles.

Minutes

The Long-Term Care Resident and Family Advisory Council meeting minutes can be found here:

Apply to become a resident and family advisor

• Are you looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity?
• Have you had experience either as a resident or as a family member of a client who, during the last three years has received, or is receiving care with Eastern Health?
• Are you willing to share your experiences with us to make a positive impact in health-care delivery for other clients at Eastern Health?

If you’ve answered yes to ALL of these questions, we have something rewarding to offer you!

Please follow the process below to apply to become a resident and family advisor. If you have questions, please contact:

Volunteer Resources Office by telephone at 709-777-4451 or email at volunteer.resources@easternhealth.ca

or

Client and Family-Centred Care by telephone at 709-777-6777 or email at client.familyadvisors@easternhealth.ca.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Regional Long-Term Care Resident Family Advisory Council differ from site specific Resident/Family Councils?

Our regional council has representation from various regions and long-term care facilities in Eastern Health. Members may either be a residents from several facilities or a family member of a residents from several facilities. The regional council is co-led by two regional long-term care staff who are not affiliated with any specific facilities. Our purpose and objectives are broad in scope and representative of the entirety of the long-term care program. For example, they may:

1. Provide feedback regarding the goals and Strategic plan for Long-Term Care.
2. Provide input on a broad range service issues that impact the lives of people who require Long-Term Care services and their caregivers.
3. Participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of quality improvement initiatives and policy development.

Site specific long-term care resident family councils would be more concerned with events, processes and operations at one particular facility. Membership representation would be either a resident or a family member of a resident of the facility in which they reside. Some examples of items for such a council may include parking issues, planning for an annual garden party, ensuring communication of upcoming events, etc.

How can the Regional Long-Term Care Resident Family Advisory Council and the site specific Resident/Family Councils Regional Work Together?

We would like to have a reciprocal relationship in which we share information. Our Regional long-term care Resident Family Advisory Council will provide our meeting minutes with all of the site specific Resident/Family Councils we would like to have your meeting minutes shared with us. We will identify any trends that may emerge from the site specific council minutes and share with any region level issues and initiatives with you.

If you want to contact us, you can email or phone either:

Cheryl Brown
Cheryl.brown@easternhealth.ca
Tel: 709-277-5934

Julia Keough
Julia.keough@easternhealth.ca
Tel: 709-752-8003

If you would like to speak to an advisor on the Regional Long-Term Care Resident/Family Advisory Council, Cheryl or Julia can arrange.

Who is a resident and family advisor?

• A person who has received care within the past three years and/or has had multiple past experiences being a client of Eastern Health;
• A family member of a client who has had or is currently having an experience of care with Eastern Health.

AND

• A person who is willing to share his/her experiences of care to make a positive impact in health care.

What is the role of a resident and family advisor?

The role of a resident and family advisor is to:

• bring the resident and family perspective to the table to facilitate decision-making;
• volunteer his or her time (about one to four hours per month);
• support and encourage others to be involved and/or share information from other residents and families of Eastern Health to support improvements in care;
• participate in a variety of ways to improve care, such as new policies, facility planning and client surveys;
• improve communication between resident, families and staff; and to
• attend meetings, planned events, learning opportunities, or focus groups.