New provincial legislation requiring seniors lodge residents and their families to be told that they have the right to establish self-governing councils is being welcomed by Mountain View Seniors' Housing (MVSH) officials and other stakeholders.
The Resident and Family Council Act came into effect on April 1. The legislation requires all licensed supportive living and long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and seniors' lodges, to notify residents of their rights vis-à-vis the councils.
The councils provide an opportunity for residents and families to discuss quality-of-life concerns with operators, including food, services and activities, officials said.
MVSH owns and operates seniors' lodges and self-contained manors in Sundre, Olds, Carstairs, Didsbury and Cremona.
Although no formal self-governing councils are currently in place in MVSH facilities, meetings between residents, family members, staff and other stakeholders are already a regular part of MVSH operations across the region, said Sam Smalldon, MVSH chief administrative officer.
“We have resident-family meetings that are held on a monthly basis,” Smalldon told the Gazette. “We’ve always been willing to accept the approach by residents and families to discuss things.
“We’ve always been open and transparent with our residents and meet with them regularly to make sure that we get feedback on meeting their needs.”
Should residents request that formal self-governing councils be established in MVSH facilities, officials would certainly comply, he said.
MVSH is already in full compliance with the new legislation, he said.
“The response that I’ve given the board is that we are compliant already,” he said.
The new legislation is being put in place to ensure lodges and nursing homes everywhere in the province are formally required to inform residents of the rules around the self-governing councils, he said.
“It seems some places in the province need to be told, as opposed to just taking the advice that it is good business practice,” he said.
“I think it is legislation to force those who don’t already do good practices, like we do, to do that. We consider it good business and best practice.”
Mountain View County reeve Bruce Beattie is the chairman of the MVSH board. He welcomes the new legislation.
“I think it is a great idea,” Beattie told the Gazette. “In each lodge we already have a group led by one person who speaks for the group and I know our staff meets with them regularly.
“We established that some years ago, starting in Carstairs, and now we have them in all of our lodges.”
The new legislation allows each council to determine its membership makeup and determine how it operates, said Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman, noting that the legislation applies to all public, private and not-for-profit facilities.
“Residents and their family members are free to decide council structure and processes, including members’ roles, meeting format and frequency, as well as when and how facility representatives should be involved in council meetings,” Hoffman said in a press release.
Requiring lodges to notify residents of the right to form self-governing councils is in everyone’s best interest, she said.
“For thousands of Albertans living in long-term care and supportive living, resident councils already make life better in dozens of tangible ways,” she said.
“We’re building on successes throughout the province so that operators, residents and their families have opportunities to work together.”
The Alberta Continuing Care Association (ACCA) has also come out in support of the new legislation.
“The association applauds and fully support this new legislation, which ensures that residents have input into things that matter to them,” Tammy Leach, ACCA chief executive officer, said in a press release.
“Many of our members’ homes have had robust, active resident and family councils for years. As we strive for quality care, quality of life and enhanced wellness, collaborating with residents only makes us better.”
The ACCA is a non-profit voluntary organization representing the providers of continuing care services in the province.
