BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) is pleased to announce Kim Slater as the winner of the Family Champion of the Year Award for the 9th Annual BC Care Awards.
For over 20 years, Kim Slater has dedicated his time, energy, expertise, and compassion to improving long-term care for people living in B.C. In 2001, Kim moved his mother into long-term care. He then realized he had an opportunity to improve how family members and friends navigate long-term care for their loved ones, especially in voicing their perspectives together to make meaningful decisions.
“I was soon struck by three realities. First, that there is a huge learning curve for every friend or family member who was trying to help their loved one navigate successfully through long-term care. Second, that in my mother’s long-term care home there was not an effective opportunity for friends and family members to learn from each other. And thirdly, that there was no opportunity for the collective voice of family or friends of residents to express their viewpoints around decisions made in the care home, by the Health Authority or by the Ministry of Health,” says Kim.
Kim was the founder and Chair of the Vancouver Island Association of Family councils, the first in B.C., and the Chair of the provincial Family Councils of BC. Kim started the Vancouver Island chapter with the intention of supporting and informing loved ones of residents in care and focused his attention on promoting quality of care and quality of life for residents. This led to his ultimate hope that through the work done by Family Councils of BC, the collaborative role for independent family councils, regional associations and Family Councils of BC would be formally acknowledged, supported and guaranteed by health officials.
Through difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim was always a strong and collaborative advocate for what is best for residents. His work and leadership with the family 1 councils has created true partnership across all of B.C. between operators, governments and families, making significant improvements to all those living in long-term care.
BCCPA praises Kim for his commitment to collaborating with all members of care, from direct staff, management, government officials, health authorities, unions and other family members, to make improvements and to foster a team approach in supporting all those who live in long-term care.
The 9th Annual BC Care Awards took place on February 28th, 2023 at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, B.C. Click here to read our wrap-up post.
Thank you to FortisBC for sponsoring the Family Champion Award.
