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Starting
a Family Council
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| Practical,
tips, recommendations, and resources to help you get started on a
family council in your facility. |
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"It's
up to families to make it work. And they need to make it work
because what family councils do is so important" Family
Council Advocate
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Foundation
There are three underlying principles families should be aware of
before building a strong and effective family council in their facility:
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Once the definition,
benefits, and rights are understood, the planning and preparation
can begin.
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Understand
the definition, potential benefits, and rights of a family
council to build a solid foundation
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Preparation
Here are some practical
steps that can be taken to get started.
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Visit the families
of facility residents and ask these family members to join you
in starting a family council.
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As a group of
families, approach the administrator about starting a family
council. The support of the administrator and facility staff
is vital to a family council's success. (NOTE: Support
does not imply attendance at councils meetings. Staff
cannot attend meetings unless invited.)
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Set a time for
the first meeting.
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Request the facility
provide a meal for the initial meeting.
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Publicize the
meeting by posting flyers, handing-out invitations, face-to-face
contact with visiting family members, announcements in the facility
newsletter and local newspapers, etc. Ask the facility to send
a letter to all family members along with the billing.
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Bring
families together for a
discussion
about a family council.
It could be just as simple as coffee and doughnuts!!!
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The First Meeting
Prepare to present
information on what a family council is, why it is important, and
what it can do for residents, families, and the facility. Use these
family council talking points as a
guide.
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Invite your facility
administrator and/or department heads for a brief part of this
initial meeting in order for them to show their support of the
effort. NOTE: Make it clear that they are expected to
leave for the remainder of the meeting to allow for private
discussion among the families.
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Allow time to
discuss family and resident concerns.
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Synthesize individual
concerns and prioritize the problems that affect residents facility-wide.
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Council meetings
will be ineffective if they become "gripe sessions."
It is important to identify goals and work towards solutions.
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Discuss strategies
and action plans to address the priority goals and concerns.
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At a minimum,
select temporary leadership to carry the family council effort
forward.
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Discuss concerns
and develop a plan to address them
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What comes next?:
Keeping families interested and empowered
- Council meeting should be scheduled
regularly enough to hold families' interest.
- Continue recruitment
efforts.
- Fine tune an action plan to
address priority concerns, establishing a strong, cooperative
link between facility staff and family members.
- Plan special events and activities
to supplement the facility activity program and to avoid focusing
solely on individual concerns.
- Have educational/informational
sessions about facility and long-term care issues.
- Establish a system to address
individual concerns, e.g. a committee or occasional set times
during meetings to discuss individual concerns.
- Develop a system (e.g. phone
tree, e-mail) to reach council members for support and problem
resolution outside of the regularly scheduled meeting times.
- The key to moving away from
an individual concern focus, is to inform and empower residents
to be their own advocates.
- Know the residents' rights
- Keep a log of concerns
- Know which staff members to
approach with problems--department heads and the administrator
- Put concerns in writing to
the administrator and staff
- Know who your local
ombudsman is and who to reach him or her
Read more about education
and outreach information.
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Information
empowers: Keep the families educated through publicity such
as flyers, posters, and mailings
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Organization and
Structure
A strong council structure
is necessary for a successful and lasting group.
See how other family councils are organized.
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Resources
Here are more resources to get you through the process of starting
a successful and meaningful family council in your facility.
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