Although staff are already generally capable of dealing with ethical dilemmas in the home, says Green, the committee will act as a resource and avenue for communication.

“We’ve drawn together this team to ensure that the best decisions are made,” says Green. Although the committee has only had to respond to a few conflicts in the home, they approach decisions with balance in mind.

In the event there is a resident who is making staff and other residents uncomfortable, she says, the team will try to assess ways to understand and develop a strategy that ensures everyone’s rights are respected.

“We want to balance the rights of the individual with that of the collective in our decision making process,” Green explains.

The committee was struck in early 2005 and has members which include the home’s management team, nursing staff, health care aides, and the home’s doctor, Tom Perkins.

“We wanted to be sure that every area in the home was represented,” says Green, who also runs the Family Ties Committee (a support group for resident’s families) and acts as non-denominational spiritual counsel for the 97-bed home.

Apart from situational advice on ethics, the group will also examine existing policies and ensure they are well communicated, says Green.

The committee is one of a number of successful initiatives undertaken by the home in 2005, says Lydia Swant, volunteer coordinator. Along with community support, (the home raised over $500 for the local women’s centre through a ‘Pay It Forward’ fundraiser ), the home also made gains in outreach, through a Spring Information Fair and luncheon for Community Care Access Centre placement coordinators. The home also received a three year accreditation award with no recommendations.

According to Swant, the outreach efforts were “an excellent opportunity for staff, families, volunteers, and the public to learn more about services and programs within the home.”

The luncheon, she adds, “was an excellent tool for us to promote our home to potential customers in the community.”

In the coming year, she says, Meadow Park Chatham will shift their focus to recruitment of new nursing staff as well as securing a residence nurse practitioner.