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Toronto Long-Term Care Homes and Services has a long-established commitment to partnering with the community and inviting the community to collaborate with us in planning enhancements to our care and service programs and in achieving positive outcomes. We believe that these relationships bring richness to our environments and help shape the unique culture of each of our homes and community programs, while promoting public accountability.

Whether it is specific community groups or organizations, or through special events, we welcome and value the positive impact our neighbours can have on our homes and community programs.

Some examples of how we keep in contact with our neighbourhood and foster community linkages include:

• Maintaining and supporting a Residents' Council in each homes
• Maintaining and supporting a Family Committee in each homes
• Maximizing the recruitment of volunteers and recognizing their very positive contribution
• Seeking out and supporting student placements, to assist in educating future healthcare workers
• Liaising with spiritual leaders in the community
• Partnering with local service groups
• Collaborating with community groups who reflect the diversity in our community, so that our care and service programs respect traditions and values - i.e. ethno-racial, cultural, linguistic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), younger adults, intellectual disabilities
• Liaising and partnering with other members of the health care community, to create an integrated system that benefits residents and clients
• Participating in a variety of local public forums, to promote a better understanding of Toronto Long-Term Care Homes and Services in the community
• Actively promoting partnerships that can enhance programs and services to the general local community
• Maintaining strong, positive working relationships with other divisions within the City of Toronto to focus on health and health promotion, in a way that benefits residents, clients and the general public (i.e. Toronto Public Health, Toronto Emergency Medical Services)

Another example of the value we place on our community connections is our strong focus on community advisory committees, with broad representation. At the divisional level, the Advisory Committee on Long-Term Care Homes and Services considers division-wide issues and provides advice to each of the individual Home Advisory Committees. The Chairs of each of the Home Advisory Committees meet every other month, with the division's General Manager, to stay up-to-date regarding long-term care, share ideas and learn from each other.

Our advisory committees act in an advisory capacity about quality issues, act as systemic advocates, making suggestions related to the rights and common good of home residents, promote effective community linkages, receive regular reports on quality improvement initiatives, and provide feedback from the community perspective.

While members of each Home Advisory Committee bring their own skill and expertise, they are also supported in their work by receiving reports from and an opportunity to dialogue with the home's Residents' Council and Family Committee - this supports the Home Advisory Committee the opportunity in remaining current about issues important to the internal community of the home.

If you would like more information about community involvement in Toronto Long-Term Care Homes and Services, or have an idea for another community linkage that you think would benefit residents and clients, we'd love to hear from you.