Family Caregivers and Family Councils: Essential Partners for Quality Care

Family caregivers have always played an integral role in promoting and achieving quality care for their loved ones living in a long-term care facility. The importance of the informal care and support provided by family members for a resident's physical, mental, and emotional well-being became abundantly clear during the pandemic when those essential supports were taken away during the pandemic. Yet, advocacy and engagement by family members benefits not only their own loved ones, but ultimately all residents in a long-term care facility. In our conversation with Marcella Goheen, a family member and advocate, we discuss how families can individually and collectively, through family councils, be a strong voice for quality and for change in nursing homes.