{"id":79883,"date":"2021-11-15T16:16:05","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T21:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&#038;p=79883"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:11","slug":"home-care-not-long-term","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/home-care-not-long-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadians want home care, not long-term care facilities, after COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-max  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n                    \n                    \n            \n    <div class=\"cu-wideimage relative flex items-center justify-center mx-auto px-8 overflow-hidden md:px-16 rounded-xl not-prose  my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 bg-opacity-50 bg-cover bg-cu-black-50 pt-24 pb-32 md:pt-28 md:pb-44 lg:pt-36 lg:pb-60 xl:pt-48 xl:pb-72\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/conversation-post-covid-care-1200w-1.jpg); background-position: 50% 50%;\">\n\n                    <div class=\"absolute top-0 w-full h-screen\" style=\"background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.600);\"><\/div>\n        \n        <div class=\"relative z-[2] max-w-4xl w-full flex flex-col items-center gap-2 cu-wideimage-image cu-zero-first-last\">\n            <header class=\"mx-auto mb-6 text-center text-white cu-pageheader cu-component-updated cu-pageheader--center md:mb-12\">\n\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold mb-2 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] cu-pageheader--center text-center mx-auto after:left-px\">\n                        Canadians want home care, not long-term care facilities, after COVID-19\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                            <\/header>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"absolute bottom-0 w-full z-[1]\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 1280 312\">\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M26.412 315.608c-.602-.268-6.655-2.412-13.524-4.769a1943.84 1943.84 0 0 1-14.682-5.144l-2.276-.858v-5.358c0-4.876.086-5.358.773-5.09 1.674.643 21.38 5.84 34.646 9.109 14.682 3.59 28.935 6.858 45.936 10.449l9.874 2.089H57.322c-16.4 0-30.31-.16-30.91-.428ZM460.019 315.233c42.974-10.074 75.602-19.88 132.443-39.867 76.16-26.791 152.063-57.709 222.385-90.663 16.7-7.823 21.336-10.074 44.262-21.273 85.004-41.688 134.719-64.193 195.291-88.413 66.55-26.577 145.2-53.584 194.27-66.765C1258.5 5.626 1281.34 0 1282.24 0c.17 0 .34 27.596.34 61.3v61.299l-2.23.375c-84.7 13.718-165.93 35.955-310.736 84.931-46.494 15.753-65.427 22.076-96.166 32.15-9.102 3-24.814 8.198-34.989 11.574-107.543 35.954-153.008 50.422-196.626 62.639l-6.74 1.876-89.126-.054c-78.135-.054-88.782-.161-85.948-.857ZM729.628 312.875c33.229-10.985 69.248-23.523 127.506-44.207 118.705-42.223 164.596-57.709 217.446-73.302 2.62-.75 8.29-2.465 12.67-3.751 56.19-16.772 126.94-33.597 184.17-43.671 5.07-.91 9.66-1.768 10.22-1.875l.94-.161v170.236l-281.28-.054H719.968l9.66-3.215ZM246.864 313.411c-65.041-2.251-143.047-12.11-208.432-26.256-18.375-3.965-41.73-9.538-42.202-10.074-.171-.214-.257-21.38-.214-47.046l.129-46.618 6.654 3.697c57.313 32.043 118.491 56.531 197.699 79.143 40.313 11.521 83.459 18.058 138.669 21.059 15.584.857 65.685.857 81.14 0 33.744-1.876 61.306-4.93 88.396-9.806 6.396-1.126 11.634-1.983 11.722-1.929.255.375-20.48 7.769-30.999 11.038-28.592 8.948-59.288 15.646-91.873 20.147-26.36 3.59-50.015 5.627-78.35 6.698-15.584.59-55.209.59-72.339-.053Z\"><\/path>\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M-3.066 295.067 32.06 304.1v9.033H-3.066v-18.066Z\"><\/path>\n            <\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n\n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<p>This article is <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/canadians-want-home-care-not-long-term-care-facilities-after-covid-19-170620\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">republished<\/a> from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> from various sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;\" allowtransparency=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/narrations.ad-auris.com\/widget\/the-conversation-canada\/canadians-want-home-care--not-long-term-care-facilities--after-covid-19\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the precarious living conditions of the elderly in nursing homes in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the first wave of the pandemic, from March to August 2020, more than 80 per cent of Canadian COVID-19 deaths were tied to nursing and seniors&#8217; homes, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cihi.ca\/sites\/default\/files\/document\/covid-19-rapid-response-long-term-care-snapshot-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Canadian Institute for Health Information<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pandemic put nursing homes in the spotlight in terms of how they&#8217;ve been managed, their lack of staff and COVID-19&#8217;s impact on the living conditions of the dependent elderly people who reside within them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/431302\/original\/file-20211110-23-1ci2z6l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A person on a stretcher is placed into the back of an ambulance.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n              <span class=\"caption\">Paramedics take away a person from Revera Westside Long Term Care Home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto in December 2020.<\/span><br>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Nathan Denette<\/span><\/span><br>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>COVID-19 and the media coverage of the crisis in long-term care have raised public awareness about the risks associated with such facilities. It may have also permanently affected perceptions and preferences when it comes to long-term care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the fall of 2020, we partnered with <a href=\"https:\/\/portal.askingcanadiansprojects.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Asking Canadians<\/a>, a Canadian online panel survey organization, to conduct a poll of more than 3,000 people in Ontario and Qu\u00e9bec between 50 and 69 years old. The goal was to learn how the pandemic had affected their views on long-term care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ire.hec.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/cahier_IRE_7_nursing_home_aversion_post_pandemic_savings_long_term_care.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The survey<\/a> asked questions about long-term care preferences and whether respondents were more supportive of home care because of COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"majority-want-to-avoid-nursing-homes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Majority want to avoid nursing homes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The survey shows the pandemic has dramatically changed perceptions, preferences and ultimately the financial behaviour of Canadians when it comes to long-term care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A full 72 per cent of our respondents said they were less inclined to enter a nursing home, and 70 per cent of them said the pandemic caused them serious concerns about exposure to health risks in long-term care facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, about 25 per cent said they planned to save more for old age because of COVID-19 and their desire to avoid entering nursing homes in favour of home care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, we observed strong support for tax policy that would subsidize home care, with 70 per cent of respondents calling for it. This increased support for home-care policies in the post-pandemic era is driven by the desire to avoid entering nursing homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At its essence, our study shows the COVID-19 pandemic has made Canadians fear sub-standard living conditions in nursing homes and has made them realize the urgency of finding adequate care alternatives and solutions for our elderly population. We can only hope that policy-makers use this opportunity to address the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/338770\/original\/file-20200601-83297-19rjf36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A woman sits in her room at a seniors' residence, blinds drawn.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n              <span class=\"caption\">A resident sits in her room at a seniors&#8217; residence in Montr\u00e9al in January 2020.<\/span><br>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Ryan Remiorz<\/span><\/span><br>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"the-global-population-is-aging\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The global population is aging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings of our survey provide important information for any country with aging populations and increasing health needs. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/els\/health-systems\/help-wanted-9789264097759-en.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development<\/a>, the number of people aged 80 and above is expected to grow from four per cent of the total OECD population in 2010 to 10 per cent in 2050. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canada is not exempt from this trend. The number of people in Qu\u00e9bec who need help with the activities of daily living is likely to almost double <a href=\"https:\/\/creei.ca\/financement-soutien-autonomie-personnes-agees-croisee-chemins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">from 315,000 in 2020 to more than 600,000 in 2050<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/431307\/original\/file-20211110-19-3gw3o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A woman assists an elderly man sitting in a chair by a window.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n              <span class=\"caption\">Canadians want home care, but it&#8217;s expensive.<\/span><br>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">(Pexels)<\/span><\/span><br>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>COVID-19 has caused both policy-makers and the population in general to think about alternative solutions to nursing home care, particularly home care. But home care is expensive, even when governmental subsidies exist \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clhia.ca\/web\/CLHIA_LP4W_LND_Webstation.nsf\/resources\/Consumer+Brochures\/$file\/Brochure_Guide_Long_Term_Care_ENG.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it has a much heftier price tag than public nursing home care<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And for those who don&#8217;t have family members who can provide informal care, public long-term care homes are often their only choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pandemic has forced society to question the appeal and expense of home care versus long-term care facilities. Canadians who want to opt for home care will need to start saving for retirement accordingly in case they become dependent and want to avoid nursing homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Policy-makers must also develop adequate long-term care standards to ensure a deadly disaster like the one that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic doesn&#8217;t happen again. That will require building new, safer nursing homes and adequately staffing them, training long-term care workers in safety and sanitation protocols and paying them a better wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But our survey shows Canadians would overwhelmingly prefer home care options as they age. Governments must make home care a viable option for their aging citizens by making it more affordable via a variety of means, including subsidies and tax exemptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;<br>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\">Carleton Newsroom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/170620\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by The Conversation from various sources. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the precarious living conditions of the elderly in nursing homes in Canada. During the first wave of the pandemic, from March to August 2020, more than 80 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":79886,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[1623],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-79883","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-expert-perspectives"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/79883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/79883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79892,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/79883\/revisions\/79892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=79883"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=79883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}