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The Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women

COVID-19 and Long-term Care (LTC) Crisis 2020

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Category:

EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

Sub-Category:

GENERAL

Resolution Number:

300.10.38

Club:

Calgar and Edmonton

Province:

Alberta

Year:

2020

Status:

Open

Background:

BACKGROUND: 81% of COVID-19 deaths in Canada occur in nursing homes which is higher than other comparable countries. 2/3 of those in long term care (LTC) are women. Wide-spread deficiencies in LTC have been exposed during COVID-19, there are no standards or regulations across Canada, and it is not protected under the Canada Health Act. The workforce staffing and skills do not meet the needs of the complex social and medical needs of residents; particularly with the increase in residents with dementia (2/3 have dementia). The Federal government has committed to a National Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Act SC2017, C19 Assented to 2017-06-22. Over 90% of care in LTC is provided by unregulated workers of which 90% are women and immigrants with limited and disparate access to training, continuing education and specialization. There is no standard for compensation including benefits for unregulated staff. The Royal Society of Canada established a working group to produce the report Restoring Trust: COVID-19 and the Future of Long-Term Care which identified huge gaps in long term care homes which put our most vulnerable citizens at risk. As health professionals have predicted, there has been a second wave of COVID-19 which continues to impact our most vulnerable citizens, who are at risk again.

Comments:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW Canada) urges the Government of Canada, specifically the Minister of Health, Minister of Finance, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion, the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Minister of Seniors, to take immediate action to fund workforce reform and redesign in Long Term Care (LTC) as outlined in the recommendations of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) Working Group on Long-Term Care Report: Restoring Trust: COVID-19 and the Future of Long-Term Care. A Policy Briefing by the Working Group on Long-Term Care, given the additional risk to this population during an outbreak;
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Canada urges the Government of Canada, specifically the Minister of Health, Minister of Finance, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Minister of Seniors to develop national standards for staffing in long-term care and to tie the provision of federal dollars to meeting these standards;
AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Canada urges the Government of Canada, specifically the Minister of Health, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion, and the Minister of Seniors, to establish and implement standards for training and resources for infectious disease control and protocols for expanding staff and visitation during outbreaks in long term care;
AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Canada urges the Government of Canada, specifically the Minister of Health and the Minister of Seniors, to take immediate action to partner with provincial and territorial governments to implement and monitor standards in long term care;
AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that BPW Canada urges the Government of Canada, specifically the Minister of Health and the Minister of Seniors, to link the national plan for standardization of workforce in long-term care with the National Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Act SC2017, C19 Assented to 2017-06-22.

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Article ID: 16047