Family members and friends of nursing home residents often pull together to form organizations known as family councils. Family councils, very simply, are organizations put together by and for family and friends of nursing home residents. These organizations typically consist of half a dozen or more individuals who meet on a monthly basis and who attempt to address specific needs and interests of a family group. For example, friends and family members of residents might meet together to discuss ways they can learn about nursing home regulations. They might also meet together, so they can get to know each other or simply plan activities.
While family councils have the capacity to provide family members of residents a venue for productive, and unorganized or poorly run council can inadvertently work to subvert everyone’s interests. Unfortunately, some family councils turn into nothing more than venues for individuals to complain or degrade staff members. As such, if your thinking about starting a family council, then you should keep in mind how important it is to establish a clearly defined purpose for your group. By keeping a clearly defined, unified goal in the forefront of the council members minds, you ensure that the council has a positive, constructive atmosphere.
If you’ve tried addressing concerns you have for your loved one through meeting with and/or establishing council, and you find that you still cannot effective that change, then you may want to explore other options. For instance, if you have serious concerns about your loved one’s safety, then you may want to seek the advice of an Ohio elder law attorney. A qualified elder Ohio elder law attorney can guide you in the direction you need to begin effectively and efficiently addressing many of the more serious concerns you have for you loved one.
