Long-Term Care

The essential role of spiritual care in long-term care

In 2020, Ontario's LTC lockdown policies led to the elimination of religious, recreational, therapeutic and social activities for residents, resulting in a spiritual health crisis in LTC homes. As a front-line occupational therapist, I witnessed first-hand the devastating consequences of the removal of spiritual care.

COVID-19 fallout an opportunity to fix crisis in care

Sharon Straus is a geriatrician and physician-in-chief at St. Michael’s Hospital, among other leadership roles. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Love for grandmother ‘a driving force’ during pandemic

Nathan Stall is a geriatrician and scientist who fought against the heartbreaking toll that the pandemic had on the elderly and those in long-term care. We're profiling him as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Ontario’s plan to hire 4,000 LTC staff is misguided. Here’s why.

The Ontario government’s plan to invest $260 million and hire 4,000 staff in the long-term care sector is yet another ineffective attempt to solve the crisis of the PSW shortage without addressing the bigger issue: retaining the folks in these positions.

Healing through community: Reflecting on collective grief from COVID-19

We are grieving loss of life on a mass scale at a time when pandemic restrictions have disrupted our customary death rituals and traditions. Could an initiative called The Reflection Room help LTC residents and others cope with their grief?

Seniors with dementia in LTC homes are using virtual reality to relive their pasts

During the pandemic, elderly people with dementia in long-term care homes have used virtual reality to relive their pasts. Is this dementia care's future?

COVID mortality rate highlights need to re-examine long-term care 

The tragedy of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care homes should catalyze a paradigm shift in Canada’s approach to promoting the health of our aging population.

‘The way I talk has become different’: Isolation taking mental toll on LTC residents

Many elderly adults with dementia in long-term care homes have experienced a large increase in memory loss due to the isolation caused by visitor restrictions.

One Solution to the Long-Term Care Crisis: Nurse Practitioners

The pandemic has brutally exposed vulnerabilities in long-term care homes, but one solution is hiding in plain sight: nurse practitioners.

Informed Consent: Should geriatric populations be told about limited representation in vaccine clinical trials?

There are ethical questions over whether certain seniors in long-term care or their designated decision-makers have the information needed to give informed consent to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ontario’s long-term care sector is in a grave humanitarian crisis

We are a group of physicians, researchers and advocates who have come together to express our grave concern for the safety and well-being of Ontarians who reside in long-term care (LTC) homes.

The dangers of financialized long-term care

Jackie Brown makes the compelling case that the staggering loss of life seen within long-term care homes during the first wave was in part the product of an economic regime that values the profits of shareholders over the lives of the vulnerable.

If not now, when? Applying a palliative approach in long-term care

The crisis of privatized care in Ontario

The Longevity Economy: Housing policies for an aging population

Is less really better? Eliminating 3- and 4-bed ward rooms in long-term care homes

‘There was a lot of death and suffering’: How soldiers turned the tide in Ontario’s long-term care homes

Virus vs. Visitors – Why long-term care needs a palliative approach

When a gym becomes a home: Highlighting the need for long-term care reform

The urgent need for home-care technology for seniors