A caregiver’s experience on the Client and Family Advisory Council
Helen, an Adult Day Program caregiver, is getting to know SPRINT Senior Care in a whole new way.
Helen is a member of our Client and Family Advisory Council, where she regularly meets with staff to share feedback on SPRINT Senior Care’s client care, policies and projects – from her perspective as a caregiver.
During monthly meetings, staff present their projects to Helen and her fellow Council members, who have the opportunity to ask questions and give their opinion. The Council has given feedback on a variety of initiatives, including a review of our agency values, staff recruitment strategies, transportation communications, a brochure for fundraising, and our falls prevention strategy. The committee’s feedback helps to drive improvements in quality and ensure that our care remains as client-centred as possible.
Helen says she first got involved with the Council because she wanted to learn more about the organization that was taking care of her partner Rosemary, who attends our Adult Day Program four days a week.
SPRINT Senior Care staff who meet with the Council are interested in getting honest feedback, she says. Hearing the truth will lead to better care, she added, and all organizations would benefit from it. “There are few organizations that are brave enough to do that,” Helen says.
Helen believes that clients and caregivers can bring a unique perspective to discussions that would normally happen between staff. In the end, it benefits everyone, leading to better care. “I’ve been really impressed,” she says of SPRINT Senior Care. “I hadn’t realized how many different aspects there were to the organization. Nor had I realized the high standards that they have in all of the programs that they’re offering. It’s an honourable organization that I feel proud to be connected with.”