Family Engagement
Powerful, cultural norms of ageism and ableism in our society have been absorbed unknowingly by many people, including family members of older adults. This means that sometimes family members hold negative views of their own aging and/or aging in general. Family members may include those who are related to the resident by birth or marriage, as well as “family members of choice” who form a key part of an individual’s social support network. It is critical to involve family members in your organization’s journey towards age and ability inclusion so that they can support the autonomy of older adults and contribute to a person-directed approach to care for residents/tenants.
To assist with scoring and responding to the assessment, you can print out the Organizational Assessment Form and follow along.
For each statement, respond with: Fully Met, Partially Met, Not Met, Don’t Know, or Not Applicable (NA). Also take a moment to write down for each statement the things that you can improve, and the good things that you can build on.
Domain D Assessment
D1. Family members are educated about ageism and ableism.
D2. Family members have been actively engaged in developing a vision for a pro-aging and ability inclusive environment.
D3. Family members are educated about dementia and how they can support friends and neighbors living with dementia.
D4. Residents living with dementia, or with physical and/or cognitive frailty are respected and accepted by visiting family members. For example, residents using assistive devices are invited to participate in dining and other activities by family members.
D5. Residents/tenants are central to decisions that concern them, including care planning and giving informed consent for medical or healthcare interventions.