VOLUME 7
Family Forum Newsletter The Family Advisory Council of Parkwood Institute Mental Health Care and Southwest Center for Forensic Mental Health Care
An accomplished council
1.
An accomplished council
2. Family Charter of Rights 3. Rethinking access to psychotherapy 5. Recovery through Spirituality & Artistic Expression 6. Collaborative meeting & Inspiration Corner 7.
Service information for families
8.
Calendar of events
The Mental Health Family Advisory Council recently created a Family Charter of Rights which outlines families’ needs for respect and understanding, education, inclusion, feedback, information and more.
From left, Carol Riddell-Elson, Mental Health Care Family Advisory Committee member and Laurel Lamarre, family liaison admire the new Family Charter of Rights plaque in front of the Family Resource Centre. For more than two decades, members of the Mental Health Care Family Advisory Council have worked to improve the family experience. As a collective group, they provide a voice for family members whose loved ones are receiving mental health care at Parkwood Institute or Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care, contributing their time and knowledge to support, educate, and empower families. Council members work with clinicians to ensure family members have the care and services they need while maintaining their own well-being. The council’s participation in mental health care hasn’t been limited to the walls of St. Joseph’s. Some members have actively sought opportunities to become involved in the community and even at the provincial level. The council works in partnership and collaboration with many legislative and external groups such as; Mental Health Commission of Canada; Canadian Mental Health Association; the Local Health Integration Network; Health Quality Ontario; and the Ontario Family Caregivers Advisory Council Network (OFCAN) – a group initiated by St. Joseph’s Mental Health Care Family Advisory Council. “Our council is innovative, creative and open to new ideas,” said Laurel Lamarre, family liaison. “It’s promising to see the organizations we work with taking the recommendations and shifting the paradigm of how care is delivered.” The council continues to make great advances within hospital. In 2015 they launched ‘The Family Inclusion Project’ – a new model designed to incorporate family members in programs and leading practice. They also continue to focus on improving awareness of the Family Resource Centre among patients and their families. More recently, a representative from the council joined the Improving CARE Together project. This project builds on past learning and successes to embed family caregivers as an integral part of the care team in all programs and services. “I feel gratified by the work we’ve done,” says Carol Riddell-Elson, family council member. “It is very rewarding that our voices are being heard regarding what works and what’s not working for families.”