Tips for Success:

• Build relationships with staff and administration.
• Be known personally for acknowledging successes in addition to identifying short-comings.
• Advocate individually when “one-on-one will work, but use the family council when issues are more wide-spread, or when a family needs particular help presenting their single case.
• Be informed of your entitlements (regulations, Resident’s Bill of Rights, the Home and Community Care Policy Manual, and so on).
• Know what you want to try to achieve in your advocacy effort.
• Know who to approach and in what order during your advocacy effort,
• Consider compromises and/or a Time frame that might be acceptable.
• Always frame your questions, concerns or suggestions in terms of the best interest of the resident(s).
• When seeking change with individual staff members or with individual administrators, try to make them partners in the search for solutions.
• Be confident, be brief, be factual and be polite.
• Be a good, patient listener.
• Remember that workers you are speaking to have feelings too.

Tips for Success:

• Develop Terms of Reference that are appropriate for your particular situation.
• Avoid focussing exclusively on the negative.  Applaud successes or gains that are being made.  Be recognized as a group that tries to build bridges.
• Create a safe, supportive environment that encourages frank but brief explanations of the problem and one that promotes effective, inclusive discussion.
• Work to educate all members of the group in terms of rights, regulations, and responsibilities in Long Term Care.
• Determine how systemic your concerns are.
• Do your research.  Find out facts.  Determine who might be able to offer additional invite into the concerns and possible solutions.
• When discussing the problem, also consider creative solutions.
• Know the difference between advocacy projects that are short term, and those that are long term.  Exercise patience in long term projects.
• Be aware that not all members of the group will be satisfied.  Have an understanding that some degree of compromise might be necessary.
• When planning to bring group advice projects forward:
  1. Articulate the nature of the concerns
  2. Identify the person(s) who will deliver the concern/message
  3. Identify the person(s) who will receive the message
  4. Brainstorm possible solutions
  5. Create a timeline that is reasonable
  6. Frame ALL discussion  around the issue of quality of care for residents and regulations, policies, and rights that govern that care
• Bring regular progress reports back to the group for consideration.