Lack of Data on Vulnerable Residents and Workers Could Hamper Long-Term Care Reform in Canada
The devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada’s long-term care (LTC) homes are well-known. With the deaths of more than 15,000 residents and workers in LTC settings across the country, a national discussion has ignited around the urgent need for comprehensive and meaningful reform.
However, the significant lack of data on those living and working in Canada’s long-term care homes is a major gap that could limit the effectiveness of policies and programs meant to improve systems of care for older adults.
An important new report, recently released by the National Institute on Ageing and Wellesley Institute shows that, due to a lack of data, we still do not have a full picture of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada’s long-term care homes. Leaving No One Behind in Long-Term Care: Enhancing Socio-demographic Data Collection in Long-Term Care Settings calls for the enhanced collection and utilization of socio-demographic data to ensure that LTC policies, programs and resources are responding to the actual needs of residents and workers, and that new solutions are effective in closing equity gaps in care and health outcomes.
Evidence from Canadian literature clearly demonstrates that health outcomes differ based on social and demographic factors such as sexual orientation, gender identity, language, race, immigration status, and ethnicity. The collection and analysis of socio-demographic data can therefore be an important tool for measuring and reducing health inequities experienced by people across different population groups and from different backgrounds.
Without taking steps to enhance the collection of socio-demographic data in long-term care settings, the needs of Canadians living in them will continue to be misunderstood, and preventable inequities in health outcomes and access to care will persist.
As Canada moves forward with planning the future of how it designs and delivers long-term care services, including the development of National Standards for Long-Term Care, the NIA and Wellesley Institute report provides five key recommendations for supporting comprehensive collection and use of socio-demographic data that will help to ensure greater health equity for older Canadians:
Ensure clarity exists amongst individuals living and working in long-term care settings about the purposes of socio-demographic data collection.
Build trust through community engagement in the design and implementation of socio-demographic data collection initiatives.
Ensure standardized socio-demographic data is collected across Canada’s long-term care settings. This standardized set of questions will include considerations of: age, sex assigned at birth, gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, language, citizenship and immigration status, annual income (and household size), marital status, education level, disability, and Indigenous identity.
Ensure appropriate skills, training and understanding for those collecting socio-demographic data.
Ensure a commitment is developed to effectively and appropriately use the socio-demographic data being collected.
The implementation of these recommendations will not only enhance the care experiences of older Canadians but also ensure that as we age, we can continue to do so with the utmost dignity and respect.
Dr. Ashley Flanagan is a Research Fellow at the National Institute on Ageing.
Dr. Seong-gee Um is a Researcher at the Wellesley Institute.
