For years, those living and working in nursing and retirement homes across the country have struggled as overburdened caregivers tried to maintain a basic level of care and dignity for aging and ailing Canadians.
It happened behind closed doors, said Carole Estabrooks, a professor in the faculty of nursing at the University of Alberta, with people typically only knowing the state of things if they or their loved ones moved into a long-term care facility.
Then the coronavirus pandemic struck, and the deficiencies turned deadly. “It didn’t just shine a light, it shone a cascade of halogen lights,” said Estabrooks, who has collected data on long-term care for 15 years. “And the public’s horrified and they’re listening now,” she said. “But my