VICTORIA – British Columbia seniors in long-term care and their family members are being asked to participate in a survey to chronicle their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie says long-term care residents and their families have made heartbreaking sacrifices during the pandemic and she wants to hear from them.
Since last March, she says 125 seniors in long-term care and assisted-living facilities have died from COVID-19, but during that same period, more than 2,000 seniors in care facilities have died of other causes.
Mackenzie says health restrictions limiting visits to long-term care and assisted-living facilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have had profound impacts on residents and family members and the survey gives them a voice.
She says the survey, Staying Apart to Stay Safe: The Impact of Visitor Restrictions on Long Term Care and Assisted Living, is available online, by mail or can be completed over the telephone by Sept. 30.
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Mackenzie says she expects the survey results will help develop policy that will make it easier for long-term-care residents and their family members to stay in touch with each other as the pandemic continues.
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