The Family Advisory Committee meets most months on the last Wednesday of the month. At their last meeting Patricia Kasprow was their guest. Pat is a consultatnt Three Links has hired to assist with the upcoming accreditation process. She shared how she really enjoys having care homes share their story, the things they do really well. Accreditation is a formalized way of doing this. Pat gave an overview of the history of accreditation and how it has evolved. In the beginning it was simply a review of policies but has grown to involve the entire care home. The surveyors are generally nurses but can be social workers, dieticians or other health care professionals. They come to the care home for 2.5 days. At the completion of their time they must produce a report to be shared with the care home. Accreditation Canada reviews the report and decides what level of accreditation to award the care home. The surveyors are looking at best practices in key areas such as governance, leadership, infection control, medication management and long term care. The goal is to discover what the care home does well and where there are opportunities for improvement. The surveyors meet with the board, community partners (coastal health, community centre, adult day care etc.), talk with staff about different issues, review a few charts, talk with some family members/residents and review policies. The goal of Accreditation Canada is to see the care homes continuously improve their quality of care.
For more information about the FAC please contact our social worker, Gary Steeves, at 778-452-6504 or gsteeves@threelinks.com
