Councils

Family and Resident Councils

Long Term Care Ombudsman Guide to Developing and Supporting Family Councils (2003).  This guide offers practical suggestions for ombudsman to help families form strong family-run councils. The manual addresses creating a new council, maintaining a council and strengthening a council, with the primary focus on the development of a new council. The full document is available here.  

Family Guide to Effective Family Councils ( 2003).  A nursing home family council that is run by family members can be a powerful force for improvement in a nursing home. This guide is designed to help families develop and maintain a strong, effective, family-run family council. It provides step-by-step guidance, as well as sample forms that can be adapted and used in your area. The full document is available here.

We greatly appreciate the willingness of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago to make this document available to the ombudsman network. Additional copies may be ordered for $5 from LAFMC. (Kathy Swanson, c/o LAFMC, 111 W. Jackson Boulevard, 3^rd floor, Chicago, IL 60604)

Family Involvement. Find out about family council rights that are protected by federal law and regulations applying to long-term care facilities.