Surveyors spark new ideas on how to build family councils
Turn meetings into social activities, suggests CCHSA surveyors
Wednesday March 12, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
When surveyors from the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) paid a visit to Burnbrae Gardens March 4 as part of OMNI Health Care’s corporate accreditation process they provided staff members at the Campbellford long-term care home with some tips on how to build and maintain a successful family council.

“(The CCHSA) had some good suggestions on how to get family council members,” says Rosie Coppens, the home’s office manager and nursing administrative services manager (NASM). “We got some good feedback as to what other homes are doing.”

Burnbrae Gardens, like many other long-term care homes, has faced challenges when trying to recruit and maintain members for its family council. During their visit to the home, the CCHSA surveyors suggested staff members turn council meetings into social events as a way of engaging families.

Turning a family council meeting into a tea party or other event adds a more welcoming aspect to meetings and provides social incentives for the families of residents. If a family council meeting is looked at as a social function rather than a mandatory meeting for members to attend, there’s a good chance more individuals will become interested in joining council, the surveyors said.

“And it doesn’t have to be a long meeting — even a half hour or an hour,” says Coppens, adding more attendees to family council meetings means more input to assist the home in continually improving the quality of care residents receive.

April Faux, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator, sits in on family council meetings as a facilitator. Although Faux was away during the surveyors’ visit, she’s enthusiastic about the idea to change the environment of family council meetings.

“A social hour is definitely something we could try,” she says.

CCHSA surveyors visited 16 of OMNI’s 17 long-term care homes last week to perform assessments on the homes. While OMNI’s homes have each received accreditation individually in the past, this represents the first time in the company’s history that it has sought corporate accreditation.

The purpose of accreditation is to ensure that organizations continuously evaluate, improve and report their success and growth.

To volunteer on Burnbrae Gardens’ family council call (705) 653-4100.

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