Jan. 29, 2005. 01:00 AM

"Reproduced with permission - Torstar Syndication Services"


More say for those in long-term careAdvocacy groups build on provincial support
HELEN HENDERSON

Who's watching the watchers?

Under new rules announced last year by Health Minister George Smitherman, the residents of long-term care facilities and their families are entitled to have a say in the way things are run.
Sounds great on paper, but is it working? What's happening with efforts to make sure high standards are met when it comes to quality of life and care?
We are all painfully aware of the horror stories emanating from some Ontario nursing homes. Last year, after Toronto Star reporter Moira Welsh detailed the neglect and abuse suffered by many elderly residents, Smitherman responded with a cash infusion, along with promises of new standards and the introduction of mandatory family and resident councils at all long-term care facilities.
Slowly but surely, representatives of residents and their families say progress is being made.
Both the Ontario Association of Residents' Councils and the Ontario Family Councils Program are in the process of expanding their reach, spreading the word about how to form effective groups to monitor and offer constructive ideas for improvement.
"Good administrators know the value of working with councils," says Pat Prentice, executive director of the association of residents' councils.
The association itself is governed by a board of directors composed of residents of homes throughout the province. (The oldest director is 92.)
Last year, Smitherman announced an extra $60,000 would be added to its $110,000 budget. And Prentice is hoping to be able to spend more time out in the field if she can find a good administrator to manage the base office in Toronto. (Excellent computer and language skills are a must, along with a friendly manner and the patience to field phone calls. The office is completely wheelchair accessible.)
Without any say in the way they are treated, people in long-term care residences feel "like corks being buffeted in a malevolent ocean," says Prentice, who also is working with the government to help create new standards for long-term care. Autonomous councils help residents reclaim some control over their lives.
When residents councils are involved in planning, everybody wins, Prentice says. "I'll go anywhere I'm asked" to help set things up and keep them running smoothly, she adds.
The association charges a modest membership fee, which varies according to the size of the residence and the group. Often, councils organize events to cover the fee, which increases the opportunity to make friends and socialize, Prentice says.
The group is also developing a website to help everyone from frontline workers to the general public understand what's at stake.
The Ontario Family Councils Program, which got $215,000 in new funding from Smitherman, is also hoping to expand its reach.
The group, sponsored by Concerned Friends of Ontario Citizens in Care Facilities and the Self-Help Resource Centre, is holding a series of information conferences across the province, including sessions in London, Kingston, Newmarket, Jordan, North Bay and Thunder Bay.
"We've been able to hire two new full-time people," says Lois Dent, president of Concerned Friends. The conferences are already overbooked, she says.
"There's a lot of enthusiasm out there," says Jana Vinsky, who co-ordinates regional networks composed of representatives from individual family councils.
Under outreach co-ordinator Stephanie Brejnik, the group is also recruiting and training volunteers to help start new family councils.
Both the family and residents' councils can bring concerns about conditions and the quality of care to the ministry's attention.
The ministry also has a toll-free hotline — 1-866-434-0144 — that anyone can call to get information or register complaints.
"They've been pretty good on follow-up," Prentice says.
The Ministry of Health website also carries information on long-term care facilities and their track records. Visit http://www.health.gov.on.ca and scroll down the menu on the left.
If you don't have a computer, you should be able to get the information from your local library or community care access centre.
For more information on family networks, check http://www.familycouncils.net, email fcpnetwork@selfhelp.on.ca or contact Jana Vinsky at the Self-Help Resource Centre, 40 Orchard View Blvd., Suite 219, Toronto, Ont. M4R 1B9 or call 416-487-4355.
You can contact the Concerned Friends of Ontario Citizens in Care Facilities at 140 Merton St., Toronto, Ont. M4S 1A1 or call 416-489-0146.
To reach the Ontario Association of Residents' Councils, write 351 Christie St., Toronto, Ont. M6G 3C3 or call 416-535-3718.
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