It’s pretty powerful to hear what can be discovered and talked about when a range of voices are at the table, as evidenced by Langara’s town hall on November 27.

Many insights were offered and several pages of takeaways were noted, thanks to the participation of both staff, and members of Langara’s Family and Residents’ Council and everyone’s willingness to share and unite in the common goal of elevating what’s possible at Langara, and at Providence Health Care.

Langara Staff and Family

Below are just some* of the comments and feedback collected from that evening’s large-group discussion:

  • A world class experience means creating a high standard of food quality and facility cleanliness.
  • When a patient is dying, we would like time when they are taking their last breaths.
  • Can we be sent for language training so that as much as possible, our language capabilities match those of the residents?
  • Time and resources should be available for sharing concerns between groups: family relations, nursing, admin and employees.
  • Is it possible to have a spiritual leader like a Buddhist monk, who speaks the same language as the residents?
  • We would like to spend more time talking with residents, doing art, having tea. We want to share our unique gifts with them.
  • Provide support for the people who serve my family member.
  • Have residents and staff involved in the cooking. Bring the smells of food cooking into the facility instead of just receiving it on a tray.
  • I need to feel that I can go to my work and my loved one is going to be taken care of, and not to take time off work to be able to navigate all the broken system.
  • Moving your loved one into a care facility is a very emotional time; I need to feel supported.
  • Invest in your people to go and experience other hospitals/locations and bring the learnings and make us world-class competitive.
  • 75% of the residents are Chinese so we need pastoral care to speak different languages.
  • Ensure there is support for staff when a resident passes away. And also let other residents know and talk about it, they need to know that a neighbour or a friend has passed away.
  • Have a place for staff where they can go and disconnect and rest, and re-energize to continue with the long days.
  • Open and transparent conversation is key.
  • In the future, it would be good if residents are grouped based on their abilities. And that the same staff are looking after the residents on a consistent basis.

Ways in which Langara can be world class:

1. Machine therapy – robot dogs, cats, etc. that residents can interact with;
2. The Butterfly Household Model of Care that was founded by Dr David Sheard;
3. Cordless headphones for residents to listen to – a type of music therapy.

  • Quality standards impacting PHC’s world class reputation involve two key issues: quality and quantity of food/meals for residents, and security at the front door.
  • Each Providence site should have a Family/Resident Council and the Councils should meet together regularly to discuss issues, share and learn from each other, and to take collective action and make their voice heard.
  • Have a “floater” position, someone who goes around and just helps a resident when needed, that’s all they do.
  • Leaders are very supportive and I can ask any questions and we can discuss any problem.

* Please note: this is a high-level summary; all sentiments discussed were fully captured by the table facilitators!

Langara town hall

This town hall at Langara was part of a series of facilitated engagement sessions across PHC where employees, patients, residents, family members, clinicians, researchers and volunteers were invited to weigh in on the creation of a new 7-year strategic plan (2019 – 2026) for the organization.

Our period of formal, large-group engagement has wrapped up but, not to worry!

Langara staff and family