New standards for long-term care homes come after ‘horrific’ conditions in Mississauga, Brampton and beyond
Published March 1, 2023 at 12:05 pm
There is still a lot of work to do to improve long-term care homes in Canada officials noted in a Mississauga announcement.
Canada’s long-term care homes were among the hardest hit during the pandemic and COVID-19 exposed challenges in infection prevention and control, staffing, infrastructure, and quality of care for seniors across the country.
Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, Kamal Khera, Minister of Seniors and MP for Brampton West, and Charles Sousa, MP for Mississauga-Lakeshore, officially announced support for new standards for long-term care homes in a press conference in Mississauga today (March 1).
The Health Standards Organization and Canadian Standards Association Group released new national long-term care home standards earlier this year. The standards provide requirements for safe operating practices and for infection prevention and control in long-term care homes.
The Government of Canada provided close to $850,000 in funding to support the development of these standards. Over 20,000 long-term care home residents, members of the workforce, leaders, and other Canadians participated in the consultations on the standards.
Officials didn’t have much new to say during the press conference at Sheridan Villa, long-term care home, at 2460 Truscott Dr. in Mississauga.
Videos
Instead, the politicians spoke about the importance of the new standards in improving care for seniors.
“During the pandemic, our community and the Region of Peel was one of the hardest hit regions in the country,” said Khera. “But despite it all, everyone here at Sheridan Villa worked day in and day out, to continue providing one of the best possible care for our residents.”
Khera added that “the pandemic exposed some uncomfortable truths and highlighted the devastating gaps that exist within our long-term care systems.”
Khera, as a registered nurse, volunteered at a long-term care home during the worst times of the pandemic.
“I will never forget the horrific conditions that residents and staff had to endure,” she said. “And I carry those experiences with me every single day as Minister of Seniors.”
To help improve long-term care homes, the federal government has set aside $3 billion dollars to help provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the new standards.
Duclos added that running long-term care homes is in the provincial jurisdiction but the federal government can provide support.
He added that a federal long-term care act is coming.
“There is a lot of work to do,” Duclos admitted.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising