The head of the Canadian Labour Congress says new standards to improve the quality of long-term care are not enough to address the serious staff issues that led to dismal and deadly conditions for seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. A man looks out the window at the Camilla Care Community centre overlooking crosses marking the deaths of multiple people that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mississauga, Ont., on May 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
OTTAWA – The head of the Canadian Labour Congress says new standards to improve the quality of long-term care are not enough to address the serious staffing issues that led to dismal and deadly conditions for seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Experts with the non-profit Health Standards Organization this week released updated guidelines for delivering high quality long-term care, stressing the need to attract and keep enough workers in homes to properly look after the residents.
They recommend a pay raise and opportunities for full-time employment.
Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske says the new standards are a step in the right direction, but it will be both complicated and expensive to actually improve working conditions in long-term care homes and encourage more people to take those jobs.
University of Alberta Prof. Carole Estabrooks, who helped develop the standards, says they are only a starting point and won’t immediately address the dire and urgent need for more workers.
Miranda Ferrier with the Canadian Support Workers Association says homes have been operating without enough staff to give all residents the care they need for a long time, but the problem became much more serious when the pandemic began.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2023.
