What is Transformative Culture Change Anyway?

What is transformative culture change and what does it mean?

The Independent Long-term Care (LTC) COVID-19 Commission has now been established. Terms of Reference have been posted. What can we hope for? The easiest solution for the Independent Commission is to make recommendations that should have been instituted long ago: more staff: full time staff versus casual staff; more direct hours of care; fair salaries; infection control education and practices, elimination of four bed rooms and availability of air conditioning. If this is the end result, then our government has failed. Long-term care is a broken system and if the Independent Commission wants to make any significant impact, then it needs to look at how to improve quality care in LTC homes with a transformative culture change.

This means revising rules and regulations, moving from institutional care to areas with small home-like environments, embracing the valuable contribution that families and volunteers make, hire staff who want to work with seniors, and look at delivery of person-centred care. All this happens now in a few LTC homes across Canada. We call them innovative models of care but they should be the norm not something unusual. CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons) Ottawa Chapter, along with collaborating organizations, is advocating for transformative culture change in long-term care homes.

Transformative culture change means the way of organizing, and giving care in long term care homes changes so that residents know and feel like they are living in a warm, caring environment that looks and feels like home. It enables staff to know who their residents and families are – and what their life was like before. It means schedules and routines are flexible to match the resident’s preferences and needs. Friendships develop between staff, residents, families and volunteers. It means residents are involved in many meaningful activities according to their abilities and what brings them joy. Transformative culture change means Relationships, Relationships, Relationships!

Excerpt from an article written by Sue McDonald, a member of CARP Ottawa Advocacy Working Group on Long-term Care

If you are interested in bringing transformative culture change to Ontario’s long-term care homes, please write directly to Ontario’s Independent Long-term Care COVID-19 Commission at info@LTCcommission-commissionSLD.ca