Resident experience with decision-making | HQCA Focus

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Continuing Care Homes: Type A

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Long Term Care

Resident experience with decision-making

How residents rated their involvement in decisions about their care, in a 2022-23 survey. (see data definition)

Please note: Site-level results in the 2022-23 FBCC Resident Experience Survey Report are not available because most sites did not meet our public reporting criteria.

What do you think?

  • Why does resident involvement in decision-making matter? What aspects of care might be impacted by this element of resident experience?
  • Are there differences between zones? Between providers? Between mainly rural and urban zones or sites? What factors could account for these differences?
  • How are resident experience results around decision-making different than family members’ in continuing care homes – type A (formerly long term care)?

Understanding “resident experience with decision-making”

In a survey conducted in 2022-23, the HQCA asked residents living in continuing care homes – type A (formerly long term care):

In the last three months, how often were you involved as much as you wanted to be in the decisions of your care?

Residents could choose “Always / Usually / Sometimes / Never”

Resident overall experience of care is likely better when they feel they have a say in or are empowered to make choices about their care.

Considerations when viewing the results:

There are a number of factors providers and leaders can consider to better understand and improve resident experiences with decision-making about their care. Before taking action, consider the following:

  • How are residents engaged in making decisions about their care? Which decisions are residents typically involved in? How are expectations about care set together? How do staff work together to meet those expectations?
  • What are possible barriers residents face to being involved in decisions about their care? Which barriers could a site help overcome?
  • What approaches could be taken to help residents choose to be more actively involved in decisions regarding their care, if they have not previously chosen to be engaged?
  • Which accommodation standard(s) does this question help inform, if any?
  • Which Continuing Care Health Service Standard(s) does this question help inform, if any?
  • Who should be involved in discussions to improve these results? How could residents and/or family members be engaged to develop solutions? What other collaboration might be required to make improvements in this area?
  • A site may only be directly accountable for one type of staff. For example, in continuing care homes – type A (formerly long term care), case management and sometimes nursing care are delivered by Alberta Health Services, while other services like care aides and housekeeping are managed by a housing provider or site operator. How can providers collaborate to make sure improvements related to improving resident involvement in decision-making are embraced by all staff?

For information about the HQCA’s Facility-based Continuing Care survey, please visit the HQCA website.

Alberta Quality Matrix for Health

The Health Quality Council of Alberta uses the Alberta Quality Matrix for Health as a way of organizing information and thinking around the complexity of the healthcare system. This measure can be used as input to assess supported living’s performance in these dimensions of quality: Acceptability, Appropriateness, and Safety.

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