2017–2018 Annual Report

For Residents By Residents

PAGE 2 | OARC Annual Report 2017-18

OARC’s Mission Statement: Through relationships, education and awareness, OARC:

• Assists Residents’ Councils in improving their effectiveness and sustainability;

• Encourages residents to participate in decisions affecting them;

• Provides a collective voice for Residents’ Councils; and

• Works with government and other organizations interested in improving quality of liv-

ing in Long-Term Care homes

OARC’s Vision: A future where supported and self-governing Residents’ Councils are respected for their

positive contributions to maintaining quality of living in LTC homes.

OARC’s Values: OARC believes that respect is core to quality of living and that Residents’ Councils provide

opportunities for residents to explore and promote:

Relationships

Education

Self-determination

Positive mutual support

Environments which feel like home

Collective voices

Ties with the community

PAGE 2 | OARC Annual Report 2017-18

For Residents, By Residents

Guided by a working Board of Directors

comprised of residents living in

long-term care homes across the

province, OARC is a not-for-profit

association representing the collective

voice for ALL residents and their

respective Residents’ Councils.

OARC Annual Report 2017-18 | PAGE 3

Message from the President and Executive Director

Being part of the Culture Change movement in the long-term

care (LTC) sector has been a part of OARC’s commitment in

service development and delivery for years.

The fiscal year of 2017-2018 marked a pivotal shift in this effort.

For years, we have been active in understanding and meeting

the needs of Residents’ Councils across Ontario’s LTC homes

and represent the collective voice of residents to our Ministry of

Health and LTC, stakeholders and broader community.

While continuously working to meet those goals, we seized the

opportunity to examine the status quo and made changes…a

key culture change principle. We dug into the existing OARC

curriculum and the education methods we’ve been providing

in order to align our education with the changing needs of our

clientele.

OARC was successful in receiving approval for two significant

funding proposals that strengthen our ability to meet

educational needs in LTC homes. One provided resources for

OARC to produce and deliver a copy of the Through Our Eyes:

Bringing the Residents’ Bill of Rights Alive program to EVERY

long-term care home in Ontario by the end of the fiscal year.

The second funding announcement enabled OARC to solidify

the Education team with the funds to secure a full time

educator working directly with Residents’ Councils, their

Assistants and home management teams.

Internally, we decided to invest in governance excellence,

committing resources and efforts to fill every vacancy in our

Board of Directors. This is something that has never been done

before. These significant investments into OARC during

2017-2018 were layered on top of our continual efforts and

success in meeting all outstanding education requests;

allowing us to shift from a reactive model of service delivery to

a proactive (outreach) model, and that feels GREAT!

Our team is solid, our mandate is strong and relevant. Our core

education resources are updated and attainable, our

creativity abounds….the best is yet to come!

“We Are Not Done Yet!”

Respectfully submitted,

L-R: Dee Lender, Executive

Director and Sharron Cooke,

President

WHAT’S INSIDE

• Your OARC Team

• Financial Statement

17/18

• OARC Supporting and

Representing

Residents’ Councils

• OARC Education

Programs

• Feature Article:

Celebrating ‘Through

Our Eyes: Bringing the

Residents’ Bill of Rights

Alive!’

PAGE 4 | OARC Annual Report 2017-18

Your OARC Team

OARC Board of Directors 2017-2018 Sharron Cooke, President

York Region Newmarket Health Centre, Newmarket

David Kent, Vice President

The Village of Erin Meadows, Mississauga

Devora Greenspon, Secretary/Treasurer

Extendicare Bayview, Willowdale

Dorothy Asselstine, Director

Maxville Manor, Maxville

Sam Clark, Delegate Member

ThorntonView Long-Term Care, Oshawa

Lloyd Foster, Director

St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa, Ottawa

Bill Jarvis, Director

Northridge Long-Term Care Centre, Oakville

Gord McIntee, Director

Coleman Care Centre, Barrie

Wendy Thorburn, Director

Arbour Heights, Kingston

Jamie Ward, Director

ThorntonView Long-Term Care, Oshawa

OARC Team Members Dee Lender

Executive Director

Julie Garvey

Administration and Finance Manager

Josie-Lee Gibson

Education and Community Engagement

Manager

Jennifer Langston

Client Relations and Project Manager

Melissa McVie

Education and Home Support Facilitator

Residents

educate new

Administrators,

Activation and

Gerontology

students

OARC’s strength

and successes are

maximized by

actively engaging

OARC’s Board

Members

OARC Annual Report 2017-18 | PAGE 5

Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils Statement of Operations Year Ended March 31, 2018

Thank you to all the Residents’ Councils who

supported OARC in 2017-18. Your membership makes a difference!

Your ongoing commitment to OARC strengthens our ability to represent the collective voice of

residents across the province. Member Residents’ Councils help to identify key issues facing

residents living in long-term and work collaboratively towards solutions. OARC is a forum

through which we can celebrate your successes and prioritize areas for continued growth and

development. Thank you for being part of such a productive and exciting membership year!

To the Members of Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils: We have audited the accompanying financial statements of Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils, which comprise the statement of financial position as at March 31, 2018 and the statements of revenues and expenditures, changes in net assets and cash flow for the year then ended, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion. Opinion In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils as at March 31, 2018 and the results of its operations and its cash flow for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations.

Raskin and Associates Chartered professional accountants Toronto, Ontario

PAGE 6 | OARC Annual Report 2017-18

“It was interesting to know how

many residents and Residents’

Councils there are in long-term

care.”

~ Resident comment, OARC Education

Residents contribute to 95% of all

consultations with OARC’s partners

including the Ministry of Health and

Long-Term Care, Researchers,

Colleges and Universities.

627 Residents’ Councils

Representing

Over 78,000

Residents

Residents

educate new

Administrators,

Activation and

Gerontology

Education

informed by

residents for

residents and

team members

“Successfully engaged and

encouraged residents to take an

active lead in the education and

teaching of the Residents’

Rights.”

OARC’s

Signature Programs

OARC Annual Report 2017-18 | PAGE 7

Working with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and Stakeholder

Groups as members of various committees, residents attend and provide their lived

experience to government and sector leaders through:

• Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care:

o Enhanced Strategy Stakeholder Advisory Committee

o Enhanced Strategy Design Variance Committee

o Enhanced Strategy Issues Working Group

o Long-Term Care Stakeholder Liaison Committee

o Long-Term Care Quality Improvement Program

• Behaviour Supports Ontario:

o Advisory Group

o Integrated Teams Collaborative

o Lived Experience Advisory Group

o Non-Stigmatizing Language Expert Panel

• Partnerships for Health Systems Improvement (PHSI) Advisory Boards for the

Strengthening a Palliative Approach in Long-term Care

• Bruyère CLRI Steering Committee

• Health Quality Ontario:

o Resource Development Advisory Group

o Long-Term Care Practice Report Advisory Committee

o Transitions from Hospital to Home Advisory Group

Supporting and Representing Residents’ Councils

PAGE 8 | OARC Annual Report 2017-18

OARC Education

In 2017-2018 OARC focused on increasing education

opportunities through online learning.

OARC developed and implemented an online education series entailed

‘The Fundamentals of Residents’ Council’. This series contains 6 modules

which together cover the fundamental, basic and essential knowledge

Residents’ Councils need to run positive, effective and efficient Residents’

Councils that capture and represent the voice of all residents.

Modules include:

Module 1: Overview of the Legislation in Residents’ Council

Module 2: Powers of Residents’ Council and Scope of Influence

Module 3: The Three Pillars of Residents’ Councils

Module 4: Residents’ Council Meetings

Module 5: The Voice of Residents’ Council

Module 6: Development of Bylaws

129 Long-Term Care Home residents and staff where able to access this

education in an on demand, convenient fashion.

OARC holds FREE interactive live monthly webinars broaching various

topics based on member needs and Residents’ Council trends.

OARC reached 190 LTC homes and nearly 450 individuals in the LTC

Communities including residents, staff and management through these

monthly webinars this past year.

OARC is continuously looking for ways to enhance our ability to support

Residents’ Councils. This past year OARC developed and released a NEW

bylaw template to assist Residents’ Councils in developing its own bylaws

and is designed to capture important aspects of Residents’ Council in one

document.

OARC and the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy for Long-Term Care teamed

up to help strengthen and advance residents’ awareness and knowledge

of osteoporosis and fracture prevention in long-term care homes in the

development of “Keeping it Together”, which is a ‘Resident Conversation

Sheet’ about osteoporosis.

How to inquire about education and support? Through OARC’s website

Residents’ Councils can request further education by completing and

submitting a ‘Request for Residents’ Council Education and Support’ form.

www.ontarc.com

Online Education

Modules

Monthly Live

Webinars

Requesting

OARC Support

Tools and

Resources

OARC Annual Report 2017-18 | PAGE 9

Togetherness Workshop: Enhancing Your Residents’ Council Residents’ Councils can thrive with meaningful work and relationships. In a small and intimate

setting, participants learn how to enhance leadership, communication skills and gain a

renewed inspiration for Residents’ Council. OARC Education Team members provide a

common understanding of:

• Culture Change

• Effective Residents’ Councils

• Long-Term Care Home Legislation for

Residents' Councils

• Roles and how they relate to one another

• Individual and team strengths

• Residents' Council resources

OARC Signature Education Programs

Through Our Eyes: Bringing the Residents’ Bill of Rights Alive

Working together, this unique program guides long-

term care home teams of staff and residents to

co-develop and co-facilitate education sessions

about the Residents’ Bill of Rights (LTCHA 2007). The

program provides educators with a step-by-step

guide, videos, exercises and resources to develop

the education.

Program learning objectives include:

• To develop an awareness of the Residents’ Bill

of Rights (LTCHA 2007)

• To demonstrate an understanding of the

Residents’ Bill of Rights (LTCHA 2007)

• To critically evaluate real life situations to ensure

residents’ rights are upheld

Thanks to funding from the Ministry

of Health and Long-Term Care, ALL

Long-Term Care Homes in Ontario

have a copy of the Through Our

Eyes: Bringing the Residents’ Bill of

Rights Alive program.

PAGE 10 | OARC Annual Report 2017-18

Celebrating Through Our Eyes: Bringing the Residents’ Bill of Rights Alive

There are certain unalienable rights for all long-term care residents in Ontario that are enshrined

in law, yet far too few people are aware of these rights and the document that protects and

supports them. In 2013, the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils set out to change this

reality. Existing effective educational resources on the Bill of Rights were sorely lacking, in large

part because residents themselves were left out of the conversation, and the OARC brought

them in.

Five years later in the spring of 2018, the OARC hosted a reception to celebrate the launch of

Through our Eyes: Bringing the Residents’ Bill of Rights Alive. This comprehensive program,

including a guide, DVD’s and worksheets, was created on a foundation of resident

empowerment, acknowledging that residents want to contribute to the well-being of their

homes and create solutions to the challenges they face. The program draws upon residents’

experience, helping them infuse their own story into the educational experience to ensure that

every action, attitude, word and behaviour in every long-term care home upholds Ontario’s

Residents’ Bill of Rights, based on what residents see, hear, feel and experience each day.

“We seek to develop tools, strategies, services and education that supports the value and

effectiveness of Residents’ Councils that help to move LTC homes toward a social model of

living, and strives to educate the community at large on the issues that residents living in LTC

face,” said OARC Executive Director Dee Lender as she welcomed guests to the Newmarket

Health Centre in mid-April.

“The time is ripe now for the Through Our Eyes program, which shows us how to incorporate any

resident, even those living with advanced dementia, into an education session as

co-developer and co-facilitator.”

After countless hours of effort during the past five years, the end of the 2017/2018 fiscal year

saw the program ready to be rolled out to every long-term care home in the province (more

than 625). Team member (staff) and resident facilitators are being trained and online

OARC Annual Report 2017-18 | PAGE 11

workshops are scheduled. The work, in a sense, is just beginning, but as Dee said, “sometimes

we forget to give pause and give congratulations.”

That’s what the spring reception was all about: celebrating a bold achievement and offering

gratitude for the many great partnerships that helped bring about success.

Of the many initiatives the OARC has been proud to lead over the years, having the value of

the Through Our Eyes program recognized and endorsed by the Ministry of Health and

Long-Term Care was a great validation of the efforts of countless people. The program is seen

as a viable and extremely useful tool in the empowerment of long-term care residents across

the province and it’s worth celebrating the fact that after five years of dedication, the Ministry

granted funding in 2017/2018 to ensure every LTC home in the province would have a copy.

“I believe in this because there’s so much to be done,” said Wendy Thorburn, who for three

years has helped guide the OARC as a Director. She points out that while homes may vary

greatly across the province, from small 35-bed homes in rural communities to 300-bed homes in

the heart of urban centres, the rights of the individual resident remain the same.

Care grows ever more complex while more people are living with dementia, and care providers

must be prepared for this reality. Residents must be as well, Wendy adds, and Through our Eyes

will be an invaluable resource in the advancement of culture change in long-term care.

This program is

meaningful, new

and leaves a

lasting

impression

“The greatest impact was the

resident involvement; it created

a total engagement from the

audience.” ~ Staff Co-facilitator

“My priority is doing everything

that I can that would improve

the quality of life for residents in

long-term care homes.”

~ OARC Board Member

Tel: 905-731-3710 | Fax: 905-731-1755 |

Toll Free: 1-800-532-0201

Email: info@ontarc.com | www.ontarc.com