LTCcovid Country Profile – Printable Version

2.05. Impacts of the pandemic on the health and wellbeing of people who use Long-Term Care

A study carried out between July and October 2020 interviewed residents in care homes, as well as family members. The residents reported missing recreational activities, the loss of social interaction within the care home (for example meal times), lack of access to physiotherapy. Some residents described loss of weight. In terms of wellbeing, residents commonly described sadness, loneliness, fear and frustration. They also commented on the impact on others, particularly residents with dementia and expressed concern for them as they were not able to make phone calls or understand the reasons for changes in routines. Some residents expressed that they felt that the public health rules were affecting them more than the rest of the population and many were critical of the measures, particularly limits on visits. Residents also felt that more staff were needed and were concerned about the wellbeing of staff and their working conditions (Ickert et al., 2021).

References:

Ickert C., Stefaniuk R., Leask B.A. (2021) Experiences of long-term care and supportive living residents and families during the COVID-19 pandemic: “It’s a lot different for us than it is for the average Joe”. Geriatric Nursing 42(6): 1547-1555 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2021.10.012

Update for: Alberta (Canada)   Last updated: January 7th, 2022