It's time to let family caregivers back into Ontario nursing homes, medical officer says
By: Ellen Mauro
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA, said the province's current rules are too restrictive, even damaging. "They're missing the point," Sinha said. "I think a lot of people are going to die of loneliness and isolation and the fact that they're not getting care at levels of what their families were providing before ... if we keep putting these restrictions up."
Conservative leadership candidates pitch fixes for long term care
By: Catherine Cullen
"I think [Canadians will] expect more from their Conservative candidates and they'll expect more from any government that wants to be in charge of their future," said Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network Hospitals in Toronto.
Leaving out long-term care was Medicare’s original sin- and we’re paying for it now
By Aaron Wherry
The weaknesses in long-term care the pandemic exposed were identified in a report issued last fall by the National Institute on Ageing. Among other things, the report pointed out that staff in long-term care facilities are underpaid and overworked. Many long-term care workers have to hold down jobs at multiple facilities to make a living — something that likely contributed to the spread of COVID-19.
Geriatrician reacts to scathing military report on conditions in 5 Ontario long-term are homes
Dr. Samir Sinha joins CBC News Network's Andrew Nichols to discuss a new report about poor conditions at Ontario LTC homes. Reacting to the report on conditions - Dr. Sinha says, “I want to thank the military for getting involved-willing to put their lives at risk but more importantly willing to speak the truth, willing to show what they have seen.".
Calgary woman moves dad from long-term care home amid calls to stop the deaths
By Jennifer Lee
Long-term care expert, Dr. Samir Sinha has been monitoring how the pandemic has evolved across the country. "Alberta's not the province I worry about the most. But I'm still concerned given there's so many homes that have gone into outbreak there and there's still mounting deaths everyday," he said. "These are some of our most vulnerable Albertans and COVID — as it's been getting into these homes — [has] killed about 17 or 18 per cent of those folks who've gotten COVID. So it's been spreading through and with deadly consequences." According to Sinha more than 80 per cent of Canadian COVID-19 deaths have been in long-term care, so Alberta — at 73 per cent — falls below the national average.
Union calls for public inquiry, criminal investigations into COVID-19 deaths at long-term care homes
By Lauren Pelley
"I don't think our focus should be on launching a public inquiry while we're in the middle of fighting the fire," said Dr. Samir Sinha. However, with 20 per cent of the province's care homes battling COVID-19 outbreaks, he stressed that people across Ontario — including residents' families and healthcare workers — are looking for answers. "We do need to understand why things happened the way they did, and if there are things we could have done to stem the level of death," Sinha said.
Can this pandemic be the crisis that finally forces us to fix long-term care?
By Aaron Wherry
"I think the tragedy of COVID-19 is that it's exposed a number of the weaknesses that have been long-standing," said Dr. Samir Sinha. Figuring out how so many residents of long-term care facilities lost their lives to the pandemic will involve examining many possible factors. But last fall, Dr. Sinha co-authored a report that identified a number of issues with the way care is delivered in this country — issues that now seem like ripe targets for reform.
"We've had [more than] a thousand older people die," Dr. Sinha said. "And if that's not a call to action, to fundamentally reform the entire way our country provides long-term care, then I don't know what is."
From “risk is low” to calling in the army: 2 months of Ontario’s COVID-19 response in long-term care
By Mike Crawley
"If my mom was in long-term care, I would pull her out. Now," says Dr. Samir Sinha.
In a separate interview with CBC News, Sinha urges Ontario to test every resident and staff member in any long-term care home that discovers an outbreak, pointing to evidence from the U.S. of confirmed cases among nursing home residents without symptoms.
What it's like moving a loved one to a COVID-19 field hospital
"[Saad] kindly walked me through what they were thinking," Sinha said. "[Saad] assured me that they had actually been consulting with geriatricians like myself and helped clarify things that made me feel that this field hospital would be taking into account the needs of some of the frail, vulnerable people living in our long-term care homes.
Sinha said he's "confident that my concerns have been heard and I'm confident that my concerns are being well thought of."
Advocates wonder why long-term care COVID warnings were ignored
By Jonathan Gatehouse
Dr. Samir Sinha, NIA Director of Health Policy Research says, “the coronavirus outbreak seems to be exposing "unique systemic vulnerabilities" within Canada's long-term care system — an underfunded patchwork of public and private homes, all governed by rules and regulations that differ from province to province. Testing for the virus among residents and staff remains sporadic, while long-term care workers have limited access to personal protection equipment (PPE), and less training on how to properly use it.”
Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and the world on April 12
These outbreaks are a "sad shame, occurring in homes with the "most vulnerable individuals in our society" who need expert care, said Dr. Samir Sinha. COVID-19 can get into long-term care homes and spread partly because of staff can't always get a full-time position and have to work at more than one facility, he told CBC News on Sunday. It's asking a lot of these workers to be at risk for COVID-19 themselves, he said. "When you're working for minimum wage, when you don't have sick benefits, to a certain extent you can appreciate why some workers didn't want to put themselves in the line of fire."
Nurses allege lack of cleaning and isolation contributed to deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Calgary care home
By Jennifer Lee
Dr. Samir Sinha spoke with CBC News, “Dr. Sinha data shows the rates of asymptomatic spread are more significant that previously understood — which means restricting non-essential visitors is key. While provinces like B.C. and Ontario locked down long-term care homes fairly quickly, Alberta didn't put that measure in place until Tuesday, when it banned most visits.
Sinha also underlines the need for all workers to wear masks, as Revera recently mandated, since staff could unwittingly bring the virus into care homes.
When it comes to isolation practices, Sinha says long-term care residents who are sick with COVID-19 should be physically separated from those who have no signs — a step Revera isn't taking.”
Debt, banks, and the price of gasoline – we answer your questions about the economics of COVID-19
Pension expert Keith Ambachtsheer told The Cost of Living executive producer Tracy Johnson that while markets are volatile right now, that will eventually end. "It isn't going to be next month, but hopefully it is next year … if that actually happens, the prices will come back. That 20 per cent that's lost, it'll come back," said Ambachtsheer. According to Ambachtsheer, money flooding into the economy from the Bank of Canada and the U.S. Federal Reserve will need somewhere to go. That could mean it goes into the stock market, which could buoy pension investments. "A good stock, with a dividend yield … that looks pretty good to me longer term," said Ambachtsheer, who is predicting the current volatility will be about a one year phenomenon.
‘We’ve already lost a number of battles’: Geriatrician on COVID-19
Host: Rosemary Barton
“This is not a drill. I wept last night. I’m working double hours. We know what’s coming. This is all Math. We know that not everybody has been doing the physical distancing that the Prime Minister and our health officials have been asking us to do. Some people have been taking this lightly – please don’t. I’m working these long hours, all my colleagues are working these long hours. We know we could die in caring for you. We know that this is not going to be easy. We are here and we are ready. But don’t disappoint us. We all need to do our part. Please take this seriously,” said Samir Sinha. “Look after each other and don’t forget older people out there who are scared, who are isolate, who because of this physical distancing can’t see their loved ones. If you have an older person in your neighborhood – look out for them. If you’ve got a senior in your life, reach out- don’t touch them – but reach out and look out for them too.“
Why Canada is taking so long to start testing blood for COVID-19
By Kelly Crowe
Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Toronto's Sinai Health Systems, told CBC Toronto's Mike Crawley that everyone in an affected long-term care facility should be tested. "That's important so that we don't miss cases that could allow us to further spread this virus around and potentially kill more people," he said.
Man fears for father’s health after COVID-19 diagnosis at London, Ont. Nursing home
By Sofia Rodriguez
“While the province has moved to ensure that anyone symptomatic at seniors' facilities will get tested, everyone at a long-term care homes should be tested when there's an outbreak. That's important so that we don't miss cases that could allow us to further spread this virus around and potentially kill more people," said Samir Sinha.
40 dead from COVID-19 in Ontario nursing and retirement homes
By Mike Crawley
At least 40 deaths of residents in Ontario nursing and retirement homes have been linked to COVID-19, almost triple the number that provincial officials reported on Wednesday. The death toll jumped by 11 over the course of Wednesday, including six new deaths at one Toronto long-term care home and two others at a nursing home in Bobcaygeon.
Death at Calgary care home raises alarms for officials and loved ones
By Drew Anderson
Health officials and long-term care facilities are working to contain Alberta's first outbreak of COVID-19, in a Calgary nursing home, but one person who has a family member in the affected centre says the response has been poorly handled so far.
Long-Term Care Homes in Canada Step up Pandemic Plans for COVID-19
By Amina Zafar
As a seniors' residence in Washington State continues to be at the centre of one COVID-19 outbreak, long-term care homes in Canada are preparing should the coronavirus come to one of their facilities. Dr. Samir Sinha talks about older and infectious diseases.
How seniors’ homes prepare for coronavirus outbreak
Seniors' homes are making sure they take necessary precautions to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 and are prepared if one occurs. Dr. Samir Sinha speaks to CBC News and CBC’s The National about pandemics.
