B.C.’s Seniors Advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, announced on Wednesday that a province-wide survey is being launched in order to assess the impacts of visitor restrictions at long-term care facilities.
According to Mackenzie, the survey is intended to give residents of long-term care facilities – and their family members – an opportunity to share their experiences of navigating the difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Of the many hardships that COVID-19 has brought, one of the most heartbreaking has been the need to limit those who can visit residents of long-term care and assisted living,” said Mackenzie.
“Restricting visitors to long-term care and assisted living facilities has been an enormous sacrifice for our seniors and their families, but it has been necessary for us to protect those who are most vulnerable to this virus.”
Back on March 20, approximately 560 long-term care and assisted living homes with approximately 40,000 beds across British Columbia were restricted to “essential visitors,” limiting communication with loved ones.
The restrictions loosened slightly back on June 30 when the Province announced that each resident would be allowed one “designated visitor.”
Mackenzie feels that although the restrictive measures taken during the pandemic have been necessary, the impact on long-term care facility residents has been profound and she hopes this survey can provide a platform for their voice.
The survey is called Staying Apart to Stay Safe: The Impact of Visitor Restrictions on Long Term Care and Assisted Living and is asks about how experiences have changed over the last seven months.
Mackenzie suggests that family members play an “integral role” in the well-being of care facility residents both mentally and physically and losing that contact can have major implications.
“The loss of this connection has had an impact not just on residents, but family members themselves have clearly been impacted as well. We want to better understand how much life has changed for the family member and for the resident living in long-term care and assisted living,” said Mackenzie.
The survey can be found online at www.carehomevisits.ca.
“I encourage anyone affected to participate in this survey. We need to hear your voice as we plan for a future that will see us living with this pandemic well into the next year,” said Mackenzie.
Respondents have the option of completing the survey online, printing out a copy of the survey and mailing it in, receiving a copy of the survey in the mail, or completing it over the phone by calling 1-877-952-3181.
According to Seniors Advocate BC, 355 residents and 233 staff have been infected with COVID-19 and 123 residents have died as a result of the virus.
Graham Cox
