New report highlights pandemic mistakes in B.C. long-term care homes
A new report on mistakes made in B.C.’s long-term care sector during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic points to two major failures that impacted residents: a lack of visitors, and a lack of staff.
The report from UBC researchers in collaboration with the BC Care Providers Association includes several recommendations to improve care during the next big outbreak.
Among them: Friends and family should never again be banned from visiting loved ones in long-term care.
“We saw the physical and mental health of residents and their families decline because of that separation,” said Terry Lake, the CEO of the BC Care Providers Association.
“Our long-term care residents, they had severe feelings of isolation and loneliness. Some of them compared their experiences living in the pandemic, living in these facilities to being in a prison,” said Dr. Farinaz Havaei, an assistant professor at the UBC School of Nursing who also worked on the report, which recommends every resident identify one essential visitor who would be permitted at all times, even during an outbreak.
Another recommendation is that long-term care homes focus on staff recruitment and retention, and ensure they have a contingency plan.
“There was no casual pool to fill in when someone was sick, so people had to work vast amounts of overtime. They got burned out and left the system, which made the situation worse across the board,” said Lake.
Dr. David Keselman, the CEO of Louis Brier Home and Hospital in Vancouver, says staffing needs to be tailored to the care home’s population.
“We don’t plan according to the needs of the resident, we don’t plan according to frailty. We plan based on an approach that is not scientific, and is not evidence-based,” said Keselman.
The report authors acknowledge some of their recommendations would require more funding.
“We have under-invested in seniors care across Canada for a long time now, and it’s going to take a lot of resources to really meet that challenge,” said Lake.
Keselman said if the pieces are put in place before the next big outbreak, lives could be saved, adding: “I am hoping that the lessons that were learned as a result of everything that happened over the last two years will actually be put to some sort of a plan – that it didn’t happen for nothing.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.