Quality Commitment and Model of Care

Model of Care 

Model of Care – Best Friends Approach

The Best Friends™ approach to dementia care is a person-centered philosophy that emphasizes the importance of relationships in providing supportive care. It is grounded in the understanding that relationships are fundamental to dementia care and should reflect the essential elements of friendship: respect, empathy, support, trust, and humour. This approach is designed to help caregivers meet the challenges of dementia care with the supportive skills and life-affirming attitudes of a “best friend.”

Key elements of the Best Friends™ approach include:

• Knowing the history and preferences of each person.
• Communicating skillfully to foster understanding.
• Providing a supportive environment and meaningful engagement.
  • Easing distress and disorientation for residents and staff.

The approach is recognized as a best practice in Memory Care due to its positive outcomes, making dementia care easier and more rewarding. It is applicable to anyone who interacts with a person with dementia, from administrators to maintenance workers, from social workers to family members, and from nursing directors to activity assistants.

To see more information click on the link below:

What is Best Friends? – Best Friends – Health Professions Plus 

Best Practice Organization

As a designated Registered Nurses Association of Ontario’s (RNAO) Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO), G. Tackaberry and Family Home is invested in continuous quality improvement and best practices aligned with the RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines.

Our interdisciplinary teams participate in nurse led quality improvement initiatives across chosen areas of interest and improvement.

The Role of The Best Practice Champion

Our RNAO Best Practice Champion staff members are trained to recognize gaps in care provision, to advocate for change, to disseminate information to their colleagues, who lead or assist with the implementation of best practice recommendations. Key influencers and passionate about the provision of the best possible care, Champions will bring the voice of the resident, family and the front line to practice change.

RNAO Best Practice Guidelines

Established in 2003, the BPSO program supports implementation of Best Practice Guideline’s (BPG’s) at the organizational level. The end goal of this internationally renowned program is to optimize nursing care, resident and organizational outcomes through the use of RNAO BPGs promoting a culture of evidence-based nursing practice and management decision-making. The decision to become a BPSO is one of commitment to quality, evidence based care and goal to become a center of excellence.

Our overall goal: to flourish, motivate, and inspire teamwork and positivity, to make everyone feel like a champion, and to become a Home of Excellence, an Employer of Choice and a Leader of evidence-based best practices, in Southeast Ontario.

This initiative supports LTC Homes in adopting evidence-based practice recommendations that support systematic and consistent approaches to providing quality care for residents.

• Benefits of this initiative include:
• Enhanced capacity for knowledge transfer
• Improved quality of care and resident outcomes
• Support for leaders, nurses and staff in LTC Homes in implementing BPGs
• Improved quality of work life

Questions and Answers

1. Which initial BPG’s were chosen by G. Tackaberry and Family Home?

• Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls
• Promoting Safety: Alternative Approaches to the use of Restraints
• Preventing and Addressing Abuse and Neglect of Older Persons: Person Centered, Collaborative, System Wide Approaches
• Assessment and Management of Pressure Injuries for the Interprofessional Team
• Person and Family Centered Care

2. How do we choose areas to focus on improvements?

Monitoring of results through various systems will help identify areas of improvement comparing G. Tackaberry and Family Home's results with other LTC Homes. G. Tackaberry and Family Home participates in Health Quality Ontario’s Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) submission formally reporting on a publically reported platform on an annual basis.

• Resident and Family feedback through our surveys
• Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) review and selection

3. How do we monitor and measure progress?

This aspect is a key component of the RNAO BPSO program

• Monthly monitoring of Quality Indicators in PointClickCare
• Quarterly monitoring of NQuIRE reporting system
• Quarterly reporting and review by the Professional Advisory Committee

More about the RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO) Program

Established in 2003, the BPSO program supports implementation of BPG’s at the organizational
level. The end goal of this internationally renowned program is to optimize nursing care, patient and organizational outcomes through the use of RNAO BPGs promoting a culture of evidence-based nursing practice and management decision-making. The decision to become a BPSO is one of commitment to quality, evidence based care and goal to become a center of excellence.

Designation as a BPSO requires a three year journey with supports and structures to help implement, evaluate and sustain practice changes. With our designation we have now demonstrated sustained use, expansion, spread and mentoring opportunities for our team.
Specific requirements of BPSO Candidacy:

• Systematic BPG implementation
• Infrastructure
• Reporting via NQuIRE
• Knowledge exchange
• Sustainability planning
• Measuring outcomes through standard indicators

The objectives of the BPSO program are to:

1. Establish dynamic, long-term partnerships that focus on making an impact on patient care through supporting knowledge-based nursing practice;
2. Demonstrate creative strategies for successfully implementing nursing BPGs at the individual and organizational level;
3. Establish and utilize effective approaches to evaluate implementation activities utilizing structure, process and outcome indicators; and
4. Identify effective strategies for system-wide dissemination of BPG implementation and outcomes.

Submit a Compliment or a Concern

You may submit a compliment or concern by completing You Have A Voice form below. Can be submitted on the link, mail to G. Tackaberry and Family Home or drop off at the Administration Office in the office mailbox. 

Submit a Compliment or Concern

Complaint Process

We encourage residents and family members who have a concern or complaint regarding the level of care or services delivered, and/or who want to make a suggestion to assist us in improving our programs and services, to follow the steps listed below. While we hope to resolve issues at step one or two, if the complaint/concern is not being addressed, or the issue is urgent, please proceed to the next step in the process.

Step 1: Discuss the issue with any registered staff member.

Step 2: Discuss the issue with a registered social service worker.

Step 3: Discuss the issue with a RN Charge Nurse/Supervisor.

Step 4: Discuss the issue with a member of Administration.

Step 5: Discuss the issue with Residents’ Council or Family Council.

Step 6: Contact the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

To contact the Ministry of Long-Term Care to make a formal complaint that could not be resolved in any of the steps above:

Call the Ministry Long-Term Care Family Support and Action Line – 1-866-434-0144, between 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. seven days a week.

The person who answers the call will:

• Take down your information.
• Ask a number of questions regarding the complaint/concern.
• Forward the information to an inspector for follow up.

You can expect to hear back within two business days.

Write to the Ministry - care of the Director, Long-Term Care, Inspections Branch, 119 King Street West, 11th floor, Hamilton, ON L8P 4Y7.

You will receive a reply letter letting you know the complaint has been received and will be forwarded to an inspector who will look into the matter.

Contact the Patient Ombudsman – If you have already spoken to staff, and contacted the Long-Term Care Family Support and Action Line (above), and was not able to reach a satisfactory resolution, you can contact the Patient Ombudsman online, or by calling 888-321-0339 or 416-597-0339 (TTY: 416- 597-5371.

Regulatory Reports

 2025 Drinking Water System Annual Report