Volunteer Reflections: The meaning of patient-centred care

OSA Surveyor, Lisa D. reflects on her volunteer time inviting residents living at a long-term care home in Vancouver to share their experiences of their care.

Just thinking about the day. Central City Lodge is a busy care home right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown Vancouver. Residents come and go constantly, as do staff and visitors.

Today was no exception. I was very happy to see B.C. Seniors Advocate, Isobel Mackenzie entering the building to join me on an afternoon shift at the ‘Lodge’. It was my third shift as a Volunteer Surveyor on the initiative, all spent at this particular home. Of course this was not Isobel’s ‘first rodeo’, so with minimal instruction, off she went to continue where I left off the day before.

After a couple of hours we both returned to the central office to finalize the paperwork and check in with each other. I was happy to hear that Isobel had completed a survey I had started with a very talkative resident the day before. It can work well doing the survey in stages so the resident doesn’t get overtired and bored with the process. Residents are also often happy to anticipate another visit with us and the opportunity for a bit of a chat.

And for me, learning about each resident is part of what I love about this volunteer role. Residents come from every walk of life, I’ve interviewed a musician, a barber, a logger – learned about their favourite foods, where they grew up, and captured a lot of valuable feedback on their current living situation. I love that we’re asking, even though their circumstances can sometimes make their replies difficult to understand. This is the meaning of true patient-centred care and I was happy to be able to share my enthusiasm for the initiative with Isobel in person. The photo you see is one I snapped of her at the end of her shift!

Volunteer Reflections from the Fraser Region

Volunteers are what fuels the BC Office of the Seniors Advocate’s Long-Term Care Survey. We asked some of volunteers in the Fraser Valley why they answered the call for Volunteer Surveyors:

“We should all get involved and work together to help improve the quality and condition of our long-term care facilities. Our family members and friends may one day require the support provided in these facilities. The most important thing I took away from the training was a new found awareness of the living conditions in a long-term care facility. I used to think of the facility as a hospital, but now I understand that it is also a home for the residents.” (Amarpreet P.)

“If people are dealing with problems of their own, as I am, it feels very good to help others, in turn it helps you take your mind off your own problems. I am impressed with the behind the scenes work that has been put into the survey and I am looking forward to meeting and volunteering with like minded people. I am very proud to tell them that I am volunteering with the Office of Seniors Advocate.” (Norma C.)

Come join us in making a difference in the lives of our seniors, volunteer today!

A Heartfelt Interview: Listening in Mandarin

Amazing volunteers from varied backgrounds are coming forward to listen to the voices of older adults living in long-term care. Volunteer Surveyors who are fluent both English and in another language, invite residents to participate in this survey in their preferred language. Read about one Volunteer Surveyor who connected with residents while conducting interviews in Mandarin.

Hi Judy,

I just wanted to let you know that the Care Home Champion at the site was extremely supportive and helpful throughout my orientation and shift. She helped me confirm where some of the alternate language residents were, and helped me find a quiet place to chat with the residents when group activities began running in the common room. Another volunteer was also there today, and we worked together to come up with a plan to connect with many residents during our shift.

I want to share something heartwarming today! I was having a wonderful conversation with a delightful Mandarin-speaking resident, and at the end of our interview, she asked me to come back and join her for tea next week! While I politely declined, it was endearing and absolutely made my day. I realized, during our interview, that we share the same hometown in China. Because she speaks only Mandarin, she has been unable to communicate with everyone around her at the care home, and felt isolated for a long time. However, when we chatted, she was extremely witty and open to sharing her experiences. It was certainly a special visit and meaningful interview!

You too can find a sense of community and connection during your volunteer commitment, whether it is through interviewing in another language, with other volunteers or residents. We are continuing to recruit volunteers across the province to participate as Volunteer Surveyors in this project. If you are interested in volunteering as part of this survey, please apply here.

The Volunteer Experience: Notes from the First Shift

Surveys at long-term care homes across B.C. have begun and will continue through to spring 2023.

Currently, the BC Office of the Seniors Advocate’s Residential Care Survey has over 25 Volunteer Surveyors conducting interviews with residents across the province. We have some amazing volunteers coming forward to take part in this survey and we are blown away with the response and skills the volunteers have.

We have also had great response from our first residents with volunteers completing interviews and having great experiences on their first shifts. Here is an example of the feedback from one of our Volunteer Surveyor following his first shift conducting interviews

“Hi Judy,

The staff on the floor have been absolutely delightful. Had a short orientation and then got started.

I attempted 2 interviews. The first, after a fair bit of discussion, said I should come back another day. I offered to come back tomorrow at the same time. The second resident I connected with was a great interview. The interview process took a full hour. We got all the way through and had a nice little chat at the end.”

We are continuing to recruit volunteers across the province to participate as Volunteer Surveyors in this project. If you are interested in volunteering as part of this survey, please apply here.

Training Kicks Off for Volunteer Surveyors

Thank you to the 100+ individuals across the province who have signed up to be volunteer surveyors with the Office of the Seniors Advocate’s Long-Term Care Survey. The survey of over 29,000 individuals living in nearly 300 long-term care homes in B.C. is being launched in Early Adopter care homes in August and will be rolled out to scheduled care homes starting early September.

This week, the survey team will begin offering regular training sessions that equip volunteers with skills to properly conduct a structured interview, as well as tools and techniques necessary to effectively engage with our residents.

The virtual Zoom training sessions focus on teaching and practicing what is called “the structured interview”. A structured interview is a standardized way of conducting an interview so data can be collected in a reliable and valid way.

Through numerous mock interview exercises, volunteers will practice what it will be like to approach residents, invite them to participate, and conduct a structured interview. By working through a variety of scenarios, volunteers will develop an understanding of the circumstances and situations that may arise throughout their time in our long-term care homes.

Recruitment is ongoing, so please share the call for this volunteer opportunity with people in your communities. A 40-hour commitment is required and training will be provided.

To volunteer go to www.surveybcseniors.org/volunteer. Volunteers can apply online or call the Seniors Advocate office at 1-877-952-3181.

B.C. Seniors Advocate invites British Columbians to participate in the second landmark survey of people in residential care

For Immediate Release

The Office of the Seniors Advocate is launching the second province-wide survey of the experiences of residents living in all 294 publicly-subsidized long-term care homes in B.C. and is calling on all interested British Columbians to join the survey team.

“In 2016/17, we conducted the most extensive study of residents’ quality of life in Canada. Over 800 caring and committed British Columbians volunteered to visit every care home in B.C. and gave voice to over 10,000 residents,” said B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie. “Five years later, we once again call upon those who want to be part of improving the quality of life of seniors in long-term care to volunteer and join the survey team. We know British Columbians care deeply about seniors, and through participating in this survey, you can help shape the future for people in residential care homes across the province.”

Members of the survey team will include British Columbians from a wide variety of backgrounds who engage with the seniors as equals in a conversation about what life is like in the place they live. The surveyors are supported by health care professionals from the Ministry of Health, health authorities and individual care homes. Volunteers will be screened for suitability and participate in training sessions to prepare them for conducting surveys with a minimum of 10 care home residents during the survey period.

Information about joining the survey team is available at www.surveybcseniors.org or by calling the Office of the Seniors Advocate toll free at 1 877 952-3181 or 2-1-1.

The long-term care quality of life survey examines topics such as food, safety, comfort, respect and responsiveness of staff, personal relationships, medications and activities. Residents will be interviewed in person and their family members will be invited to participate by phone, online or via a written survey. The survey will be conducted at care homes across the province between June 2022 and February 2023. A final report is planned for spring 2023.

The 2017 final report ‘Every Voice Counts: Provincial Residential Care Survey Results’ made recommendations for system improvements including:

increasing care hours and ensuring staffing levels are enforced and monitored by heath authorities;
increasing flexibility of how and when care and services are delivered;
examining opportunities to improve the mealtime experience;
advising health authorities to administer a similar quality of care survey to care home residents and family members in 2019/20 and publish the results;
increasing training focused on the emotional needs of residents;
foster greater engagement with family members particularly in regard to family councils and visitor handwashing;
better physician care and increasing the role of nurse practitioners to improve care;
increasing the range of activities, particularly in the evenings and weekends; and
undertaking the survey again in five years.

The Office of the Seniors Advocate is an independent office of the provincial government with a mandate of monitoring seniors’ services and reporting on systemic issues affecting seniors. The office also provides information and referral to seniors and their caregivers by calling toll free 1 877 952-3181, BC211, via email at info@seniorsadvocate.ca, Canada Post and the OSA web site www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca.

Quick Facts:

In 2016/17, over 800 survey volunteers donated over 25,000 hours visiting every long-term care home in B.C.

Over 10,000 residents and 10,000 most frequent visitors, who are usually family members, were surveyed.

Volunteers will be screened and, if suitable, participate in a one-day training session; each will be asked for a commitment of a minimum of 40 hours over the survey period.

Each volunteer surveyor will be assigned to a care home and responsible for surveying a certain number of residents.

The 2022/23 survey will be offered in English, French, Punjabi, Chinese Simplified (Mandarin) and Chinese Traditional (Cantonese), German, Spanish, Korean, Persian, Filipino and Italian.

Additional languages will be added when/if needed based on information from care home operators.

To learn more, visit:

2017 ‘Every Voice Counts: Provincial Residential Care Survey Results’ report https://www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca/osa-reports/residential-care-survey/

Media contact:
OSA Communications
250 213-2024
osa.comms@gov.bc.ca

www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca

Residential Care Survey

Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie today released results of the Office of the Seniors Advocate’s landmark survey of people living in B.C.’s residential care facilities.

This is the most extensive survey of its kind ever conducted in Canada, targeting over 22,000 individuals in 292 residential care facilities.

“This project was a monumental undertaking and I am so very grateful to all of those who supported our efforts to ensure the voices of such an important part of our population in the province are heard,” said Mackenzie, adding the survey relied on the assistance of over 800 trained volunteers who donated 25,000 hours of their time to conduct in-person interviews with seniors. Residents’ most frequent visitors, usually a family member, were also mailed surveys.

Key positive responses from the survey include:

50% of residents rated the overall quality of the care home as very good or excellent with 83% of residents believing the staff know what they are doing
88% of family members report being involved in decisions about the care of their loved one
80% of residents indicate they get the services they need
65% of family members rated the facility 8 or higher when 10 was the highest possible score
88% feel safe in the care home
86% of residents feel staff treat them with respect
88% of family members or most frequent visitors report that facility staff addresses their concerns always or most of the time

Key areas where residents and families said improvements are needed include:

62% of residents say they do not get to bathe or shower as often as they want
One in four residents say they sometimes, rarely or never get help to the toilet when needed and 25% of residents report staff try to relieve physical discomfort sometimes, rarely or never
More than one-third of residents report they are not consistently getting the help they need at mealtimes
Almost 46% of residents report there is no one living in the facility that they consider a close friend and 45% report there is no one for them to do things with
Less than half (46%) of residents say staff regularly make time for friendly conversation
49% of residents only sometimes, rarely or never have the same care aide on most weekdays
4 out of 10 residents living in residential care do not want to be there
Only 57% of residents report that the care facility regularly feels like home

The Seniors Advocate has made a number of recommendations on the basis of the findings from this survey, including:

Increase flexibility around when and how care, services and activities are delivered
Foster greater engagement with family members
Examine opportunities to improve the meal time experience

“This report is not the “voice” but the “voices” of residential care as the diversity of opinions is apparent in the results. Together, these voices are telling us that our residential care system has some good aspects—even very good for some—but, taken as a whole, we need to do better and, in some cases, much better. You will read in the report of residents who are waiting too long to get the help they need, who are frustrated by the rigidity of fixed schedules and who want to have more to do and people they can talk to,” said Mackenzie.

Read News Release

Read Full Report (Provincial Results)

Read Full Report (Health Authority Results)

View PowerPoint Presentation

View video about our volunteers

Audio transcript of teleconference