In response to that question, I feel it needs to be regulated. In Ontario, it is part of the Long-Term Care Homes Act. However, in B.C.—I have friends in B.C.—there is no such act and there is no such thing as a family council. What families have had to do, my friends included, is come together and create their own quasi-family council groups through Facebook. Families were connecting to provide support and share resources.
Even in Ontario, where it's regulated, the idea of a family council is not always respected within ever single home. There are some homes that work very well with a family council, and then there are some homes that do not want to work with a family council. They feel that they don't understand it. They feel that it's just extra work. They feel that they're doing what they need to do to take care of the residents.
Again, the majority of the residents who are in long-term care have some form of dementia or cognitive disability. Even though many of the homes have a residents council, they cannot effectively communicate on behalf of themselves, because they're in fear that if they speak out too negatively, there will be ramifications imposed against them.
I have families within my own family council that are afraid to speak out because they feel that the quality of care their loved one will be getting will decline.