Councils allow administration and staff to deal directly with family concerns and ideas, to convey needed information to families and to decrease resident and staff turnover by creating workable ways to deal with family dissatisfaction. Many administrators have shared instances when they were unaware that families had a concern, but because the concern was raised at a council meeting it was easily resolved. Administrators have also shared examples of problems that were solved because of the good ideas or assistance of a council. Family councils also give families, administrators and staff opportunities to get to know each other better and to establish meaningful lines of communication. While these programs may be beneficial, they are not substitutes for family councils.
Many homes have resident councils.
It may seem at first glance that the two groups are the same. Combining the home's resident and family councils into one group may even be considered. However, this ignores the fact that residents and their families have different interests, needs and abilities. Residents and families need their own councils geared to their special situations and interests. Occasionally, a family council will be started to meet a need within the home.