Canadians have ‘deluded’ themselves about the state of long-term care: doctor
In an interview with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson, Dr. Samir Sinha said fixing the heartbreaking condition of long-term care homes recently exposed by the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic will take more than money — it will take real thinking about what models of care the country wants.
Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health and University Health Network, Dr. Samir Sinha, tells Mercedes Stephenson Canada is lagging behind other countries when it comes to funding long-term care.
The Avoidable Tragedy: How Canadian Public Health Failed to Curb the Carnage of COVID-19
By: Tori Marlan
One factor that accounts for the provinces’ different outcomes was the timing of specific policy responses, according to Samir Sinha, the National Institute on Ageing’s director of health policy research. These measures included restricting non-essential visits, limiting staff to working at one site, and requiring staff and visitors to wear surgical masks. “Provinces that acted more definitively and earlier probably have helped to avoid a number of unnecessary outbreaks from occurring,” Sinha said.
Private nursing home owners under pressure as COVID-19 exposes flaws in system
By: The Canadian Press
Dr. Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the National Institute on Ageing at Ryerson University, says it is “simplistic” to say for-profit facilities are more likely to have COVID-19 outbreaks than not-for-profit homes because both are having problems.
Confronting the Crisis in Long-Term Care
COVID-19 brings to light what many have known for years: the system is broken, and society’s most vulnerable are paying the price. Dr. Samir Sinha joins the podcast to make sense of this political and policy failure, and to call on all of us to act.
Advocates push Ottawa to fix long-term problems with long-term care
By The Canadian Press
The Trudeau government waded into the area of seniors care in 2017 when Philpott was health minister, having agreed to give the provinces some $6 billion over 10 years for home and community-based care. That money came with some common standards and benchmarks to track the progress of those funds. That made for some difficult conversations with provinces who didn't want the federal government stepping on their turf, said Dr. Samir Sinha, who had knowledge of the talks. Sinha said some of the criteria for measuring the success of the funding have still not been developed. "In the end, we spent $6 billion with very little accountability and we're no further ahead," he said.
Selley: Shameful nursing home report shows how Canada's lockdown strategy went wrong
By Chris Selley
Second of all, we know where the greatest risk lives: not just among the elderly — 96 per cent of fatalities were over 60, according to the latest federal reporting — but very specifically in long-term care homes. Ryerson University’s National Institute on Ageing estimates 81 per cent of deaths nationwide and in Ontario, 82 per cent in Quebec and 95 per cent in Nova Scotia, which has the third-highest fatality rate among provinces, are linked to such environments.
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.
Military teams report horrible conditions on long term care homes
With Kelly Cutrara
Dr. Samir Sinha spoke with Kelly Cutrara on AM 649 about the military team's report on the conditions in 5 LTC homes & says what the soldiers witnessed really speaks to deeply seated issues that clearly existed in these homes & likely many others.
COVID-19 exposed horrors in long-term care. What should Ottawa do next?
By Alex Ballingall
Dr. Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the National Institute on Ageing, said this “jurisdictional bun fight” over long-term care is a problem. After the 2015 election, when he was advising the Liberal government during negotiations for a new national health accord, Sinha said provinces wanted money for long-term care with no federal strings attached.
Canada’s soldiers have provided a wake-up call for our long-term care system
By Samir Sinha and Michael Nicin
Canada’s armed forces have bravely endured and seen far worse things abroad than at home – or so we thought. A clear and utterly disturbing dispatch released by the military this week brought to light the horrific and unimaginable working and living conditions of staff and residents at five long-term care homes in Ontario. An additional report outlined gaps in care at some nursing homes in Quebec. While the military had been sent in to support the fight against COVID-19, armed forces personnel discovered damage far beyond what the virus had caused.
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.".
City-run long-term-care homes have seen fewer COVID-19 deaths. Are staff wages the reason?
By Jennifer Pagliaro and David Rider
I think what’s tragic about this is that we have our military called in to lend an extra pair of hands, but what they saw were staff afraid to use (personal protective equipment) or staff who may not have had the right training to use it. There were systemic issues that were not the result of the pandemic alone. They were part of long-standing systemic issues.
The Star published an investigation into long-term care in 2003. What’s changed since then?
By Moira Welsh
I think what’s tragic about this is that we have our military called in to lend an extra pair of hands, but what they saw were staff afraid to use (personal protective equipment) or staff who may not have had the right training to use it. There were systemic issues that were not the result of the pandemic alone. They were part of long-standing systemic issues.
Heat wave forces cities, long-term care centres to rethink how to offer heat relief under COVID-19
By The Canadian Press
"This could lead to a huge wave of excess deaths around something that was completely preventable," said Dr. Samir Sinha.
Nationalizing senior care
The NIA’s executive director, Michael Nicin, joined host Simi Sara on Mornings with Simi. The topic: ‘Seniors advocates say nationalizing care homes isn’t a magic bullet and won’t solve the care problems that some seniors are experiencing in their homes.’
Repenser les soins de longue durée à la lusmière des ravages de la CoViD-19
By Marc Poirier
Au début mai, l’Institut national sur le vieillissement de l’Université Ryerson de Toronto estimait que 82% des quelque 6 000 décès reliés à la CoViD-19 au Canada sont survenus dans ces établissements. La quasi-totalité des victimes sont des résidents alors que seulement quelques membres du personnel en sont morts.
Most Canadians support federal takeover of long-term care facilities, poll finds
By Patrick Swadden
Seniors have been the hardest hit age demographic by the COVID-19 pandemic, as recent estimates from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at Ryerson University in Toronto show that 82 per cent of all coronavirus deaths in Canada have occurred in LTCFs.
What we’re watching: Liberals pitch plan to expand COVID-19 committee meetings
By Kady O’Malley
Over at HUMAN RESOURCES, members will hear from the National Association of Federal Retirees, the National Institute on Ageing and Reseau FADOQ, as well as economists Shamez Kassam and Kevin Milligan. (Monday 6 – 8 PM). Watch committee hearing here.
Failing our elders
Dr. Samir Sinha joined the Sickboy podcast to discuss how our healthcare system is failing our older population and what needs to change.
