Association of Residents' Councils supports new Act
‘We think most of it is quite welcome’: OARC
Thursday, January 18, 2007 -- Natalie Miller
The Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils likes the bones of the government’s proposed Long Term Care Homes Act.

Patricia Prentice, executive director of the association (OARC), says the legislation centres on residents’ rights.

“Basically my executive and my board really like the legislation,” Patricia tells Axiom News.

“We think most of it is quite welcome. We appreciate the fact the framework revolves around residents’ rights.”

Bill 140 is currently at the second reading stage. According to the Province, the proposed Act promotes zero tolerance of abuse and neglect of long-term care home residents, restricts the use of restraints and makes it mandatory a registered nurse be on duty in the province’s nursing homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It also defines licence terms for long-term care homes of up to 25 years and provides the authority to revoke licences in cases of non-compliance.

The provincial Standing Committee on Social Policy is currently holding public hearings on the proposed legislation. Patricia spoke during the second day of hearings Tuesday in Toronto.

“We stuck pretty much with what (applies) to residents and residents’ councils,” says Patricia about OARC’s presentation.

She says there’s still some tweaking necessary to the proposed Act and important conversations to be had between the long-term care providers and government.

OARC recommends the government remove from the proposed legislation the ability for substitute decision makers to sit on residents’ councils. This carryover from the 1980s legislation allows friends and family members of residents judged to be incompetent to sit on residents’ councils.

Family councils are the appropriate forum for friends and family members, she notes. The portion of the Act that suggests the formation of a board akin to the role of an ombudsman is “a very costly duplication” and those dollars should go towards care instead, says Patricia.

There are existing outlets for concerns to be heard such as the Province’s 24-hour hotline for residents, OARC and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, she notes.

OARC was formed in 1981 by residents themselves, “to act as a collective voice for Councils in all types of long term care Homes in Ontario,” the association’s website, http://www.residentscouncils.ca/, states.

“A strong, unified network of Residents’ Councils is vital to their continued existence and effectiveness. OARC is concerned that residents in homes that are care facilities maintain their independence, their privacy and their dignity.”

The association’s objectives, as outlined on its website, are to: encourage the formation of residents’ councils in all homes in Ontario encourage residents of care facilities to participate in the management of the facility, their home identify key issues facing residents speak with one voice to the provincial government and all other bodies having to do with residents promote legislation which improves the lifestyle and safeguards the welfare of residents share and consolidate ideas arising from various regions of the province for the good of all assist and advise individual councils promote a standard of care which will improve the quality of life of all residents OARC is managed by a board of directors, all of whom are residents elected by its member homes across Ontario.