From Reactive to Proactive: Keeping Families in the Loop in Long-Term Care

August 31, 2025 | Varsha Chaugai

Family engagement in long-term care is no longer just a soft metric. It is central to quality of care, compliance, and operational efficiency. Yet many long-term care (LTC) communities continue to rely on a reactive model, where communication only happens after a concern is raised, a complaint is filed, or an issue escalates.

In today's environment, characterized by staffing shortages, heightened family expectations, and increasingly complex care needs, this reactive approach is no longer sustainable. Shifting from reactive to proactive communication helps prevent misunderstandings, protects staff time, and builds trust with families.

This post explores how LTC providers can transition to a proactive model, what tools and strategies support that shift, and why doing so leads to better outcomes for staff, residents, and families.

Reactive communication typically involves staff responding to family concerns after they arise. This may include returning urgent phone calls, answering emotionally charged questions, or justifying clinical decisions well after they have been made.

This model increases stress for both staff and families. Staff are forced to respond without preparation, families feel uninformed, and leadership may become involved in avoidable conflict resolution. These patterns can harm family satisfaction, increase documentation burdens, and place compliance at risk.

The Ontario Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, requires that families be meaningfully involved in care decisions and receive timely updates. A reactive model often fails to meet this standard, particularly during transitions in care, medication changes, or emerging health issues.

A proactive approach means anticipating information needs before families ask, setting communication routines, and providing tools that reduce the need for one-on-one updates. Here are four effective strategies to make that shift:

• Implement a Centralized Communication Platform Using a family communication portal allows homes to share secure, real-time updates with authorized family members. At sites using Engage⁺ , more than 80 percent of families log in weekly, resulting in fewer incoming phone calls and more focused time for clinical care. By making care updates available on demand, staff can spend less time fielding repetitive questions and more time delivering hands-on care. The automation of routine messages also ensures consistent communication across all residents and families.
• Create Standard Protocols for Family Communication Homes can establish internal expectations that define when and how families are updated. For example:
  • Notify families within 24 hours of a medication or condition change
  • Send biweekly proactive summaries for high-risk residents
  • Use structured notes before and after family care conferences
  These protocols reduce variability and increase confidence among staff that communication responsibilities are being met.
• Automate Routine Messages and Newsletters Email platforms like Mailchimp or HubSpot can be used to schedule monthly newsletters, care updates, activity calendars, and other announcements. By providing consistent touchpoints with families, homes create transparency while minimizing the administrative workload for staff.
• Train Staff in Proactive, Person-Centered Communication Instead of waiting for families to call with questions, encourage clinical teams to initiate updates, explain decisions as they occur, and offer early insights during care changes. A proactive conversation builds trust and reinforces the home's commitment to partnership.

• For Staff: Staff benefit from fewer last-minute calls, which helps reduce emotional fatigue and interruptions during care delivery. With fewer reactive conversations, nurses and care aides can stay focused on resident needs. Staff also experience less conflict and fewer escalations, which improves morale and retention.
• For Families: Families who receive timely, consistent information feel more confident in the care their loved one is receiving. This reduces anxiety, decreases the number of incoming inquiries, and strengthens the relationship between families and the care team. Families also become more collaborative in care planning conversations when they feel informed from the start.
• For Organizational Leaders: Home administrators and directors benefit from improved compliance and fewer formal complaints related to communication gaps. Proactive communication builds public trust and strengthens the home's reputation, which is particularly important for maintaining occupancy. A structured approach to family engagement also supports audit readiness and reduces administrative risk.

Failing to adopt a proactive approach to communication comes with measurable costs. When homes remain reactive:

• Staff spend more time responding to urgent calls, which limits the time available for direct resident care.
• Leadership becomes involved in resolving preventable conflicts, which diverts attention from quality improvement.
• Families may feel anxious or left out, which can lead to lower satisfaction scores, more complaints, and reduced trust.
• The organization risks non-compliance with family engagement expectations set out in provincial regulations.
• Inconsistent communication may impact resident safety, especially if families are not promptly aware of care changes.

Ultimately, staying reactive results in more time, more stress, and more cost—without delivering better care.

Proactive family engagement starts with a mindset shift. It requires a culture that values openness, sees families as care partners, and prioritizes communication as a core function, not a secondary task.

Technology like a family portal supports this culture by making information accessible, automating routine messages, and reducing staff burden. But success ultimately depends on leadership commitment and team-wide practices that put proactive communication into action.

As long-term care continues to evolve, homes that invest in proactive engagement are not only better prepared for tomorrow, they are providing better care today.

Discover how family portals like Engage⁺ can help get you there by requesting a demonstration at contact@evokehealth.ca.