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Resident-Client Advocate

There are different definitions of advocacy, depending on how you use the word - but in general, advocacy means to "stand up for the things that you believe in" and try to make positive change for a person or situation. An advocate is the person who speaks up to try to make the improvement. Everyone has the ability to advocate for themselves or for another person.

Advocacy can mean "speaking on" behalf of yourself or speaking on behalf of another individual or group (with consent) to ensure that their rights are respected and needs are met. When an individual is cognitively impaired and is not able to provide informed consent, consent may be provided by the substitute decision-maker.

Toronto Long-Term Care Homes and Services understands the importance of self-advocacy and third-party advocacy - and we want to hear from you if you have issues or concerns, so that we can work together to make improvements.

Although any family member or staff can act as an advocate, we are proud to be one of the few long-term care organizations to have a full-time Resident-Client Advocate, whose sole responsibility is to provide advice and support to residents, clients, families, staff and/or volunteers who have questions or concerns, or who are seeking assistance in navigating the system to find a solution for an issue.

For more information, please contact:

Michael Saunders
Resident-Client Advocate
msaunde@toronto.ca

Contact with the Resident-Client Advocate will be kept confidential, except with your specific consent or in certain circumstances that the Resident-Client Advocate will explain to you.

The Resident-Client Advocate consults regularly with each of our Residents' Councils and is available to meet with the homes' Family Committees upon invitation. The Resident-Client Advocate also has a regular column in the various residents' newsletters, entitled Ask the Advocate. The information below has been summarized from past Ask the Advocate columns, to provide additional information about advocacy.

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What is Advocacy?

A dictionary definition for advocacy is "the function of an advocate - the work of advocating; pleading for or supporting."

Another definition comes from the 1987 report from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General review of advocacy for vulnerable adults, You've Got a Friend: A Review of Advocacy in Ontario. This report defines advocacy as "an activity which involves taking up the case of an individual or group of individuals as speaking on their behalf to ensure that their rights are respected and their needs met."

Advocacy is when we recognize an issue or concern that affects an individual or group of people, and try to rectify the situation by bringing it to the attention of someone who can fix the problem.

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Who can be an Advocate?

Anyone who acts on another person's behalf to obtain or regain control for that person or to help the person assert their rights or achieve some goal is acting as an advocate. This can be a spouse, partner, family member, friend, or member of the care team. In day-to-day life, an advocate does not need any special training or education to represent the person. One exception to this would be if the person needs a professional advocate, such as a lawyer.

While this answer has been written from an individual's perspective (informal or individual advocacy), there is also systemic advocacy, which uses the same principles and values, but involves an advocate working on behalf of a group of individuals (at a system level).

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Why are Advocates needed?

Published research suggests that the concept of vulnerability creates a need for advocacy as the vulnerable are often dependent on others - this may leave them susceptible to misunderstanding, abuse of rights, neglect or abandonment.

Both residents who require the care and services available in a long-term care home, and community clients who rely on in-home support, have some degree of vulnerability - they are reliant on the assistance of others to manage care, self-care and/or maintain their independence. This vulnerability can be further magnified if they perceive that raising a concern or issue will result in some form of retaliation (i.e. services will be discontinued). Even though this fear is perceived rather than real, the imbalance of power psychologically reinforces vulnerability and results in the need for advocacy.

Anyone may act as an advocate - a spouse, partner, another family member, friend, staff member, volunteer, the Resident-Client Advocate, community advocates and/or professional advocates, such as lawyers. This is not an exhaustive list of who can function in the advocacy role - rather it demonstrates that anyone can function in this role. For residents, clients and/or family members, the best place to start in making your issue known may be in discussing it with a staff member who you know and trust.

Usually, the type of advocacy we do on a day-to-day basis is called informal advocacy, whereby we make requests and seek information either for ourselves or on behalf of another person. Informal advocacy does not require any specific formal training.

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Is there a charge?
Specifically, is there a charge to residents, clients, family members or friends when they contact and speak with the Resident-Client Advocate?

There is absolutely no cost to residents, clients, family members or friends who contact and/or consult with the Resident-Client Advocate - so this should never be a deterrent if you feel that contacting the Resident-Client Advocate might be helpful.

While the Resident-Client Advocate position is a paid position within Toronto Long-Term Care Homes and Services, the position has been carefully and sensitively designed and organized to be at arms-length from the direct operations of the home and of the community services program. The position reports directly to the General Manager of Toronto Long-Term Care Homes and Services, with no direct reporting relationship within the home. This approach has been very successful in providing people with access to a knowledgeable third-party who is able to provide additional information and advice. Also, when informed consent is provided, the Resident-Client Advocate may be able to assist in representing an individual issue or concern to the appropriate staff in the home.

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Advocacy Organizations

There are a number of community organizations that also provide advocacy services:


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