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COVID-19 in long-term care homes – what needs to be done differently?
By Staff
May 7, 2020
10:05 am
TORONTO, May 7, 2020 – COVID-19 has hit long-term residential care facilities particularly hard. It’s a situation brought on in part by a lack of attention to a sector many people choose to ignore, but York University Professor Pat Armstrong, who led the 10-year project Re-imagining Long-term Residential Care, says that needs to change.
“Currently, the state of nursing homes and the number of beds available suggest we do not highly value older people or the growing number of younger people who are now in nursing homes or those who provide their care,” says Armstrong of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. “At least, we do not value them enough to ensure they have the conditions and care they need.”
“What has also become so evident in this crisis is that ensuring everyone has the care they need helps protect us all,” she says.
Armstrong can talk about the following:
Why long-term care facilities should be part of a universal health care system.
Why private, for-profit models of care are not the route to take. Research has shown they tend to have lower staffing levels, more verified complaints, as well as higher rates for both ulcers and morbidity. They also contract work out – laundry, cleaning – and that brings more people into the home daily, presenting a risk.
The importance of having enough beds available and the resources to support the work to provide appropriate care.
The problems facing the nursing home labour force and the use of part-time and casual workers who work in more than one home.
Why Canada is almost seven times as likely as some Nordic long-term care facilities to report they face violence on a daily or almost daily basis.
What needs to be done in the short- and long-term.
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Media Contact:
Sandra McLean, York University Media Relations, 416-272-6317, sandramc@yorku.ca
“Currently, the state of nursing homes and the number of beds available suggest we do not highly value older people or the growing number of younger people who are now in nursing homes or those who provide their care,” says Armstrong of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. “At least, we do not value them enough to ensure they have the conditions and care they need.”
