Nobody died in these long-term care homes - what did they do right?
Since COVID-19 was first reported in Canada on January 26, the disease has spread quickly and silently through nursing homes, leaving in its wake a devastating death toll. Stories from worried family members and reports -- including a damning one by the Canadian Armed Forces that alleged neglect and described overwhelmed, poorly trained, and ill-equipped workers hit by massive staffing shortages -- have shocked Canadians.
However, amid the alarming numbers, are the lesser-known stories of nursing homes that did not face a crisis. I spoke with several long-term care operators who did not experience a deadly outbreak to see what, if anything, they did differently. Actions these homes took stand in stark contrast to details that came out of so many other homes and appeared to put them on a much different course.
I also think a lot about how lonely - and scary - it must been for the seniors, especially those who got sick...I spoke with a woman, grateful for the care her 91-year-old mom received during this difficult time. "They didn't make her feel like she was alone," she said.
As one of the CEOs I spoke with said, it's important for the industry as a whole to share best practices and figure out what worked, what didn't, what could be improved, so they can all be better prepared in the future.
I lost a relative to COVID this past spring at one of the facilities documented by the CAF. I thought a lot about what went wrong, which made me also think about what went right elsewhere. So this is a part of that story.