Administrators to lead Resident Council makes more sense than any middle Manager

No regulation states who the “designated staff person” shall be. There is no requirement that this person must be the activity/rec/engagement/community life lead. The regulation below only states there shall be a designated person who facilitates or leads resident council meetings.

This is not at all taking away from any council member positions. I’m not talking about that at all. Some homes have a hard time finding people to volunteer. Notice below council positions are not required at least not by federal regulation…. Check your state regs.

Activity directors became the facilitator only because the resident council was looked upon as just another activity which it certainly is not.

Therefore, when the administrator is the facilitator, the lead, things happen. A smart administrator confirmed this years ago in Kansas. I wish I knew her name to give her credit. In a very large joint provider/surveyor training she shared “I lead resident council, and I love it. Why? Because I can make decisions and changes can be made like this… [and with her hand up in the air she snapped her fingers once].” Yep. That’s what I think too.

Do you suppose those who live there and participate in the resident council meeting might approve the administrator being the lead designated staff person? I’m guessing yes. Ask and find out.

Here is the federal regulation. Notice there is not actually a requirement for resident council. If there is a requirement, it is usually within state licensure regulations.

F565 The resident has a right to organize and participate in resident groups in the facility.   (i) The facility must provide a resident or family group, if one exists, with private space; and take reasonable steps, with the approval of the group, to make residents and family members aware of upcoming meetings in a timely manner.
(ii) Staff, visitors, or other guests may attend resident group or family group meetings only at the respective group’s invitation.
(iii) The facility must provide a designated staff person who is approved by the resident or family group and the facility and who is responsible for providing assistance and responding to written requests that result from group meetings.
(iv) The facility must consider the views of a resident or family group and act promptly upon the grievances and recommendations of such groups concerning issues of resident care and life in the facility.
(A) The facility must be able to demonstrate their response and rationale for such response. (B) This should not be construed to mean that the facility must implement as recommended every request of the resident or family group.

Even if people who live there* feel the need to meet privately, they will still need to then present their concerns inevitably to the administrator. Thus, this idea can save a lot of people a lot of time.

The administrator has the most power/authority in the whole place. He or she can create meetings to be very helpful and efficient. They can proactively create a sharing of power and recognize how important the people who live there are and what they think. It should really be viewed as a quality improvement/performance improvement meeting with those who actually live there. They experience daily life living there. None of us do.

It is quite common over the years to also have team** leaders*** of each area** of the home participate in meetings as well. And, certainly with approval by those who live there.

In my experience, most of those who live there indeed want the administrator and the team leaders present in order to be able to both hear of any problems and certainly compliments too.

These ideas aren’t radical, they’re not even new, they just make sense. Hopefully, you are blessed to work with a wise administrator who will go for this if he/she doesn’t already do it.

Next article I’ll bring up how monthly meetings are too far out; waiting for another month is too far apart….

* People who live there replaces the outdated, institution term residents, or worse patients. “Resident, I hate that word. He/she was a person way before they became a resident of a nursing home.” Tony Hanlon, Nursing Home Administrator

**Team/area replaces the outdated, institutional term of department.

***Leader replaces the outdated, institutional term director, maybe even manager.

Carmen Bowman, MHS, was the first NCCAP Certified Activity Professional to be a state and federal surveyor also working at CMS Central Office Division of Nursing Homes. She calls herself a Regulator turned Educatorand her business Edu-Catering: Catering Education for Compliance and Changing Institutional Culture. She teaches how changing institutional culture can be done USING regulations and how to go beyond “activities programming” to giving people back real life.  She offers new or not-yet-qualified activity director consultation and personalized continuing education for professionals, teams, associations. LEARN MORE at her blog and from the eResource GUARDIANS OF NORMAL LIFE: How Activity/ Recreation/ Engagement/Community Life Professionals can Save the World of LTC at  www.edu-catering.com. At the Edu-Catering YouTube channel, see how turning rigid schedules into flexible ones creates all the outcomes everyone wants!