Family Councils Approximately 75,000 Ontario residents are currently living in long-term care homes. It is estimated that sixty to 70 per cent of these residents suffer from some degree of dementia and cannot speak on their own behalf. This is why Concerned Friends launched its Family Councils project in 1998, to provide family and friends of residents in long-term care with a vehicle to advocate on behalf of their loved ones. Family Councils are autonomous, self-directed groups of family members and friends of residents in long-term care homes who meet to improve the quality of life for all residents in the home and to give families a voice in decisions that affect their loved ones and themselves. Concerned Friends approached the Self Help Resource Centre of Greater Toronto to partner with us and applied to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for funding for a three-year pilot project to set up four to six Family Councils in the Toronto area. The pilot was such a success it was expanded to develop 13 Family Councils in the GTA. Funding for a second phase was obtained in 2001 and Family Councils were developed and sustained across the province. On August 26, 2004 , the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care announced $215,000 in government funding to support family councils. Mr. Smitherman also promised to include Family Councils in the new long-term care legislation. This was very good news for Concerned Friends, as well as for residents of long-term care facilities and their families. This funding made it possible for the Family Councils' Program to hire a full-time outreach coordinator and network coordinator, as well as a part-time resource coordinator. The Outreach Coordinator helps develop and sustain individual family councils throughout the province. Key partners in this work are volunteer facilitators who are recruited, trained and supported by the Outreach Coordinator. The Network Coordinator helps develop and strengthen Regional Family Council Networks, that are made up of representatives from individual family councils within a region. Our goal is to have a self-governing provincial organization with a board of directors made up of representatives from the Regional Family Council Networks. The Resource Coordinator develops a variety of resources to meet the needs of family councils, including the FCP newsletters, and maintains the Family Councils' Program website. The 2006 FCP information survey and follow up telephone calls indicated that approximately 500 LTC Homes have a family council. This represents a 100% increase in the number of operating family councils over the past 3 years. Some councils are family-led, while others are led by a family member/staff combination. As the FCP continues its work of encouraging and supporting family councils and family councils' networks, the issues and demands are becoming more complicated and frequent. These demands and issues are also recognized by Concerned Friends which meets and consults regularly with FCP staff and our FCP partner, the Self-Help Resource Centre. The Family Councils' Program has an advisory committee composed of representatives from OAHNSS, OLTCA, Concerned Friends, the Self-Help Resource Centre, Ontario Association of Residents' Councils and family council members. This committee advises FCP staff about current issues in long-term care and provides consultation on questions and challenges faced by family councils and brought to its attention by FCP staff. For more information about the Family Council program, visit www.familycouncils.net |