|
 Organizing
and implementing an empowered Resident Council is a challenge
to many activity professionals. In theory, the Council is a formal
group of residents who come together as one collective voice,
to share ideas or concerns about issues and events in the facility.
The group is mandated by federal law for nursing homes and by
most state laws in assisted living or medical day communities.
Beyond requiring such a council should exist, how the council
is run or managed is loosely defined in the regulations. In most
nursing homes, the number of residents who can assume an advocacy
role is small. The first task the activity professional must introduce
to the members of the council is to encourage those who attend
the meeting to advocate for their peers. Many residents view the
council as a place to air personal complaints. Although, individual
concerns should be shared, the general membership needs to see
part of their role as looking out for their less able peers. Open
discussion of the purpose of the council, how some concerns or
needs are not isolated and the residents need to be supportive
of each other, and introducing positive means to implement change
as a group can begin to suggest the council is not "all about
me". The council can be organized anyway the residents want it
to be organized. Having the traditional officers of President,
Vice-president, etc., is not required. Sometimes it is difficult
to find four residents capable and willing to assume these leadership
roles. Having a Chairperson or Unit Representative is acceptable,
as long as the residents are involved in this decision. It would
be appropriate to create by-laws for the council, defining how
the council is organized and how concerns are communicated. If
officers are in place, time limits of office and methods to reelect
officers should be defined. One of the major goals of the council
is to follow up on any resident concerns. If it is an individual
concern, the resident should be guided to more immediate means
to address the problem. For a resident to wait two weeks for a
Council meeting to voice a concern is too long to wait. Periodic
council meetings should introduce and review the individual complaint
process with the residents. The department heads may attend the
meeting and encourage residents to come to them directly and immediately
if a problem occurs within their department. The administrator
should also share an open door policy regarding individual concerns.
If the individual concerns are shared by many or they are not
addressed to the individual resident's satisfaction, then the
council should take action. There should be a formal and written
process to document resident concerns and communicate them to
the responsible department head. The written response and proposed
resolution to the concern should be returned to the council by
the following meeting for discussion and hopeful conclusion. Many
facilities create a "Resident Council Concern" form for this purpose.
Formal minutes of the meeting should be maintained. They should
follow the standard meeting minutes format which would include
date and time of meeting, a discussion of unfinished or "old"
business, and introduction of new business. It is good practice
to discuss any concern that was mentioned in the previous meeting,
following up on any resolutions and if the residents are satisfied
with the outcome. It is also good practice to go through each
department systematically, noting positive comments as well. The
meeting can be used as a means to make "announcements" and share
facility news which can be included in the minutes. The minutes
should be typed and neatly filed into a binder, kept in chronological
order. If one particular department frequently is the focus of
resident concerns, that department head should be invited to the
meeting. This would allow open and direct discussion of the situation
as well as immediate response to any introduced concerns. Any
staff member who attends any meeting should be involved as an
invited guest. The staff member who may be facilitating the council
should remind the residents of this right periodically and offer
them the opportunity to meet privately, if they so desire. The
Council can be involved in productive and positive activities.
Using the council as a means to manage election information and
complete absentee ballots is effective. The Council may invite
local politicians to speak at the facility. Developing committees
is another positive task for the council. Various committees can
focus on welcoming new residents, selecting entertainment or bus
trip locations. Some councils raise funds for a variety of uses.
Any council fund raising should be announced as such. The residents
should collectively decide how any funds are distributed. Donating
to local charities or purchasing something expensive that the
entire resident population can enjoy such as a large screen television
would be appropriate. Compete records of funds raised and disbursements
should be maintained. A positive and productive council is a rewarding
experience for both the residents and staff who may be involved.
Having an administrator and facility staff that understand the
purpose of the Council and believe in supporting the resident's
right to speak out and make a difference in their community will
contribute to your council's success.
The Resident Council
Coalition
Resident
Council Handbook
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