Deaths of Seniors in Long-Term Care and Seniors' ResidencesCanada's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Theresa Tam has stated that about half of Canada's deaths from COVID-19 are seniors living in long-term care or seniors' residences. More than 150,000 people live in dedicated care centres across Canada, according to the Canadian Association for Long-Term Care.
The Guardian reports that snapshot data from varying official sources shows that in Italy, Spain, France, Ireland and Belgium between 42 per cent and 57 per cent of deaths from the coronavirus have occurred in nursing homes. The U.S. government has not released statistics of seniors' homes COVID-19 deaths. According to a tally made by the Associated Press, there have been 3,621 nursing home deaths, while the New York Times has identified more than 2,500 nursing homes with outbreaks. In many cases, the deaths are not even reported. In Britain, the government has not been including deaths in nursing homes in its daily reports, only those in hospitals. In Italy, unions, health care workers and relatives in Lombardy, the worst affected region in the country, have reported that large numbers of residents, who were never tested for coronavirus, have died in the region's nursing homes. The rule, rather than the exception, is that the patients died in conditions of terrible neglect, deprived of human dignity, without their families, in many cases without even food and water. With workers unable to stop the collapse of a broken system, these deaths reveal the terrible toll of years of neo-liberal austerity, deregulation, privatization and callous refusal to uphold the rights of seniors and the workers who care for them. In addition to the lack of staff, low pay, part-time and the casualization that leads to workers working in several facilities, lack of sick time, failure to implement infection control, and lack of personal protective equipment, private ownership, including sub-contracting where there are several different employers on one site can be seen to be a significant factor. As well, many seniors live in deplorable conditions in "basic" accommodation, with up to four people sharing one room, leading to rapid spread of infectious diseases. TML Weekly is providing information on deaths in Alberta, BC, Quebec and Ontario. QuebecAbout 60 per cent of Quebec's 435 deaths occurred in seniors' homes and long-term care facilities as of April 14, according to provincial data. Seventy-one deaths occurred in just six centres according to reports from April 6. Residents have tested positive for COVID-19 in 106 seniors' care homes, 67 CHSLDs (long-term care centres) and 39 RPDs (private seniors' residences). Forty-one centres were identified as in need of monitoring, and five were placed under government surveillance following inspections on April 11 and 12. The inspections were launched after the terrible situation at the Résidence Herron, where 33 people have died since March 13, became public.
The diary of a worker at the Lasalle centre in Montreal published by the Globe and Mail shows that the terrible negligence at Residence Herron is far from exceptional. It describes the collapse of an already broken system, with staff completely overwhelmed and unable to provide care to residents, a complete failure of the facility to implement infection control procedures, and a lack of personal protective equipment. Premier François Legault announced the CHSLD network is now short about 2,000 nurses and orderlies, including 1,380 in public centres. In the CHSLD Ste-Dorothée in Laval, 120 residents, representing 62 per cent of the residents, have tested positive for COVID-19. In Montreal, the Centre d'hébergement Yvon-Brunet has 105 cases, representing 64 per cent of residents. Nine homes have between 50 and 100 cases, and 30 have more than ten cases. Deaths have been reported at the following facilities, but up-to-date reports have not been issued, making it likely that the number of deaths is higher. - Residence Herron, Laval -- 33 deaths OntarioOntario has 626 long-term care homes which are licensed and approved to operate in Ontario. The majority are privately owned (58 per cent), while 24 per cent are voluntary operators (non-governmental, not for private-profit), and 16 per cent are municipal. About 40 per cent of long-term care homes are small, with 96 or fewer beds, and close to half of these small homes are located in rural communities. There are 77,257 long-stay beds within these facilities with about 1,000 beds for convalescence and respite.
A total of 114 long-term care homes in the province are now experiencing outbreaks according to Premier Doug Ford (April 14). An outbreak is reported when there is one or more cases of COVID-19. There are also outbreaks in retirement homes where seniors live in their own apartments. The Ontario Ministry of Health reports that 857 health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in Ontario. The Globe and Mail reported that on April 13 it contacted all of Ontario's public-health units and learned of at least 182 deaths of residents of seniors' homes due to the virus. At least 197 seniors' facilities have had one or more cases of COVID-19 among residents or staff. Not all the province's 34 public-health units responded to The Globe's questions. Toronto's Medical Officer of Health reports that Toronto has 38 long-term care homes with active outbreaks and 14 outbreaks in retirement homes. There have been 68 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in long-term care homes in Toronto and one in a retirement home. Media reports have identified a number of homes with a high number of deaths. 155 people died in the homes named. Five of the six homes with ten or more deaths are publicly funded and privately owned and operated, two by the same operator. - Pinecrest Nursing Home, Bobcaygeon -- 29
deaths; The seniors who have died include seniors who were living independently in their own suites. AlbertaThere have been 48 deaths from COVID-19 in Alberta, with 60 per cent of the deaths occurring in lon- term care and seniors' residences. There have been 214 cases of COVID-19 at continuing care centres in Alberta including 30 deaths. Twenty-one residents have died at the McKenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre in Calgary. The centre is owned by Revera Ltd., which is wholly owned by the Public Services Pension Investment Board and under the direction of the federal Treasury Board on a for-profit basis. There have been four deaths in the Manoir du Lac in McLennan in northern Alberta, which is owned by Integrated Life Care Inc., a company that owns and operates independent living facilities for seniors. The Alberta government has now taken control of the home. Two deaths have occurred at Shepherd's Care Foundation's Kensington Village site. Two seniors have died in Carewest facilities in Calgary, one at Sarcee and one at Glenmore Park. Carewest is a care provider operating in 14 locations in Calgary, and is managed by Alberta Health Services. Outbreaks have been reported in three other facilities, with no deaths. British ColumbiaBritish Columbia has seen a total of 69 deaths from COVID-19, with the majority of those associated with long-term care facilities. There are active outbreaks in 20 long-term care facilities with 289 cases -- 165 residents and 124 staff. Outbreaks at four homes have been declared over. Five facilities account for 38 deaths of seniors from COVID-19, or 55 per cent of all deaths from COVID-19 in BC. The first outbreak took place at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where 20 residents have died. As of April 14, Lynn Valley was associated with 63 cases -- 42 among residents and 21 among staff, with about 30 considered to have recovered. There have been ten deaths in Haro Park Centre in
Vancouver, five deaths at the Berkley Care Centre
in North Vancouver, two deaths at Amica Edgemont
Village retirement home also in North Vancouver,
two deaths in the Dufferin Care Centre in
Coquitlam, and one death in the Shaughnessy Care
Centre in Port Coquitlam. No other deaths in
long-term care have been reported. Seniors have died at long-term care and seniors' homes operated by the health authorities, not-for-private-profit voluntary organizations, and for-private-profit owners and operators. More than half of all the deaths took place at one private facility, Lynn Valley where three different private contractors provide services. Most of the workers lost their collective agreement in a contract "flip" where the private owners further subcontracted work to negate collective agreements, and where many staff worked at multiple sites. A 47-year old worker in a group home in Richmond died at home while in self-isolation. His employer, the Richmond Society for Community Living, said it became aware he caught it on the job as a residential worker helping people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
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A study conducted
at the London School of Economics in Britain has
also concluded that about half of all COVID-19
deaths appear to be happening in care homes in
some European countries.
Twenty-five
long-term care facilities and residences for
independent and semi-independent seniors have been
deemed critical. The number of deaths in these
centres and other facilities has not been made
public. Media reports indicate that at least three
long-term care centres have 26 deaths or more.
Most of the critical facilities are on Montreal
Island and Laval, with one each in Trois-Rivières,
Shawinigan and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
According to the
Ontario Long Term Care Association, almost half of
the homes are older and need to be redeveloped.
These homes as a rule contain four kinds of
accommodation -- private, semi-private (two
people), basic (up to four seniors in one room)
and short stay (respite). The wait list as of
February 2019 was 34,834 people, with an average
wait time of 161 days to placement.