Residents' Council &
Resident Satisfaction
What is a Residents' Council?
An independent, self-determining group made up of residents of a long-term care home. The
Council is intended and designed to form the collective voice of all residents who reside in the home, whether or not they attend meetings. All residents have the right to participate in the Residents' Council.
The Council is to meet regularly to provide advice and recommendations to the licensee regarding what the residents would like to see done to improve care or the quality of life in the home, and to provide peer-to-peer support.
The Council also meets to exercise several powers including, but not limited to:
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sponsoring and planning activities
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collaborating with community groups
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reviewing the financial documents
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operations of the LTC home
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attempting to resolve disputes
Fixing Long-Term Care Act
“Every licensee of a long-term care home must ensure that a Residents' Council is established at the home.”
“Every licensee of a long-term care home must also appoint a Residents' Council Assistant who is acceptable to that council to assist the Residents' Council.”
The Birches
Residents' Council
Meets monthly in the LTC Activity Room.
Members include current residents The Birches, as well as the following invited support staff:
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Dietitian
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Recreation and Rehabilitation
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Manager of Food Services
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Patient Relations Officer
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Administrator/Director of Care
Each meeting opens with the discussion of a "Resident Right" under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act.
Standing Items that are discussed at every meeting:
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Activities and Events
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Quality
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Food & Dietary
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Staff Education
Each meeting ends with a “round table” discussion where residents can openly voice concerns, feedback, suggestions, etc.
Resident Satisfaction Survey
The Resident Satisfaction Survey is completed, at minimum, annually.
The Survey is conducted collaboratively by NSHN’s Patient Relations Officer and our team of trained volunteers. Each resident is directly engaged, in-person, during the survey process. A visual satisfaction scale is available and provided to those residents who require additional modalities to provide their response.
Survey questions assess the following indicators:
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Quality of Care
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Physiotherapy and Activities
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Environment and Facility
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Food
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Linen
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Administration/Patient Relations
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Overall Satisfaction with care and services
NOTE: Responses/feedback provided by a family member or loved one during this process are not included with resident-specific data. Instead, this feedback is directed to the Patient Relations Officer, who then conducts the Family Satisfaction Survey with the family member/loved one.