Community Guidelines
The Community of Support is a space where families and caregivers of long-term care residents, residents themselves, staff, and volunteers can connect, share experience, and support one another. These guidelines explain what we ask of everyone who takes part, so the community stays safe, respectful, and useful for the people who rely on it.
Our Purpose
This community exists to help members share knowledge, ask questions, and offer mutual support around life in long-term care. It is not a substitute for the formal channels each home has for complaints, care concerns, or emergencies — it is a place to connect with others who understand what you are going through.
Who is this Community for?
Community of Support welcomes:
- Family members and care partners of long-term care residents
- Residents of long-term care homes
- Staff working in long-term care
- Volunteers supporting residents and families
Everyone here shares a connection to long-term care, but not the same role or perspective. These guidelines apply equally to all members regardless of role.
Respect and Courtesy
- Treat every member with courtesy, even in disagreement. Long-term care is an emotional topic — assume good faith.
- No harassment, personal attacks, hate speech, or discriminatory remarks based on race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.
- No naming and shaming of specific staff, residents, or family members. Concerns about an individual’s conduct belong with the home’s management or the relevant Family Council, not this forum.
- Keep criticism of homes, policies, or the system constructive and specific to the issue, not personal.
Privacy and Confidentiality
- Take learnings, not stories.
- Do not share another person’s personal information or other identifying details without their consent.
- Be thoughtful before naming a specific long-term care home, especially in connection with a complaint — consider whether the concern needs a name attached to be useful to others.
- What is shared in this community should stay in this community. Do not screenshot or repost members’ posts elsewhere without permission.
- Only share your own experiences and, where relevant, information you have the right to share on behalf of a resident you support.
Sharing Experience, Not Advice
- Members are welcome to share what has worked for them, but this community is not a source of medical, legal, or financial advice.
- If a post raises a clinical or legal question, encourage the member to speak with the resident’s care team, a lawyer, or another qualified professional — don’t present personal opinion as professional guidance.
- Be clear when you’re sharing a personal opinion versus a documented fact or policy.
Safety and Wellbeing
- If you believe a resident is in immediate danger or experiencing abuse or neglect, contact emergency services or the home directly — do not rely on this community to respond in time.
- Concerns about resident safety, mistreatment, or care quality should also be reported through the home’s official complaint process or to the relevant Family Council, in addition to any support sought here.
- If a post raises serious safety concerns, moderators may flag it to the appropriate parties.
Moderation and Reporting
- Moderators may remove posts, close threads, or edit content that violates these guidelines.
- Reports are reviewed as promptly as possible and handled with discretion.
- Repeated or serious violations may result in a warning, temporary suspension, or removal from the community.
What Isn't Allowed
- Spam, unsanctioned advertising, or solicitation unrelated to long-term care support
- Impersonating another person, home, or organization
- Sharing content that is defamatory, obscene, or illegal
- Organizing harassment or coordinated complaints against an individual
- Using the community to recruit for unrelated commercial or political activity
How We Collect and Use Your Information
When you create an account and take part in the Community of Support, Family Councils Ontario (FCO) collects:
- the details you give us when you sign up: your name, email address and username
- your activity in the community: when you joined, the spaces you belong to, and the posts and replies you write
We keep this information in FCO’s secure contact management system (HubSpot) so we can:
- manage your membership and the spaces you can access
- send you community updates, event invitations and FCO news by email
- understand how the community is used and improve it
We do not sell your information or share it with other organizations for their own marketing.
You can unsubscribe from FCO emails at any time using the link at the bottom of any email. To see, correct or delete the information we hold about you, or to close your account, email info@fco.ngo.
By creating an account, you agree to these Community Guidelines and consent to FCO collecting and using your information as described above.
Questions or Concerns
If you have questions about these guidelines, need to escalate a concern, or want to reach a moderator, contact the Community of Support team through the platform’s contact option. We review and update these guidelines periodically to keep them useful for the community.