Canada’s long-term care homes are still being hit hard in the pandemic.
Just over half the people who have died of COVID in Canada were residents of long-term care and retirement homes, which is roughly 16,000 people.
There are outbreaks right now at more than 2,000 facilities across the country, and the hardest hit provinces are Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta.
Recently, a new draft of national standards by the Health Standards Organization is offering new insight on Canada’s potential strategy to improve the lives of residents.
Janette Harper’s mother didn’t need a wheelchair when the pandemic began. She believes her mother might still be walking if she’d been allowed regular visitors and engagement for the last two years.
As Janette Harper said: “When my mom went into long-term care, as for everyone, we didn’t know we were giving up their rights. She was just a vacant shell, and you saw your loved one just slipping away from you through a window.”
Harper says she’s pleased to see this draft set of national standards for long-term care focused on resident wellbeing with one hundred and eighty one criteria.
One of the focuses respecting a resident’s right to live with risk, a flashpoint in the pandemic where prolonged isolation and visitor restrictions have had devastating consequences.
Long-term Care Services National Standard Dr. Samir Sinha said: “Families are just saying. Look, we don’t want to do this. We rather just get Covid. My mental health cannot take another period of lockdown.”
Vivian from Ontario Tech University said: “I would have liked to have seen very clear language on you are not allowed to separate family again period.”
This long-term care advocate wanted more specifics, including a minimum number of hours of care per resident per day.
As Vivian continued: “I was hoping to see clear standards that are actually enforceable.”
Implementation is another matter.
Ottawa committed three billion dollars in the last budget to improve long-term care, but wouldn’t say Thursday if it will commit to legislating these national standards, the health and seniors minister saying they’ll respect provincial jurisdiction.
CanAge CEO Laura Tamblyn Watts said: “They are in a way suggestions unless the government takes the needed steps to both fund the changes that these standards require make staff available.”
As Dr. Samir Sinha said: “I’m hoping that this will be a clear blueprint that really can enable provincial and territorial and federal action to move long term care to where all Canadians are demanding it to go.”
These draft standards focus on care.
There’s a second set in the works from another organization which focus on infection control and infrastructure after public consultation, both groups are expected to present final versions by the end of the year.
By then, it will be nearly three years since the horrors of the pandemic in long term care began.
Resource: Global News