Health Reports
A Canadian peer-reviewed journal of population health and health services research
February 2024
Work precarity, employment characteristics and health among Canada’s long-term care and seniors’ home workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
by Valentina Antonipillai, Edward Ng, Andrea Baumann, Mary Crea-Arsenio and Dafna Kohen
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted several issues in Canada’s long-term care and seniors’ (LTCS) homes, also known as the residential care sector, which provide accommodation and care services primarily for older adults. During the first wave of the pandemic, residents of LTCS facilities across the country accounted for over 80% of all COVID-19 deaths. Numerous outbreaks in LTCS homes resulted in widespread transmission of COVID-19 among residents and health care workers alike. Most direct care services for residents in LTCS homes are provided by two groups comprised of many racialized, immigrant women: personal support workers (PSWs) (Note 1) who are directed by nurses and nurses themselves. Over the next thirty years, PSW staffing levels in Canada must increase by more than 200,000 workers to maintain the existing level of care in LTCS homes. However, even before the pandemic, the sector had seen declining nurse registration rates, high turnover among PSWs and severe staff shortages. These trends were exacerbated by the pandemic, with staff retention difficulties receiving significant media attention. Limited organizational supports, low wages, and limited benefits, combined with high levels of understaffing and overcrowding of residents in LTCS homes, have left many workers exposed to precarious working conditions. Precarious work refers to employment where individuals are exposed to high levels of insecurity and instability, characterized by low wages, reduced benefits, limited workplace rights and social protections, and jobs that are temporary, on call, casual, or on contract when full-time work is preferred. Precarious work is often experienced by immigrant and unregulated workers, such as PSWs, in Canada’s residential care sector.
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Work precarity, employment characteristics and health among Canada’s long-term care and seniors’ home workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Ng E, Pottie K, Spitzer D. Official language proficiency and self-reported health among immigrants to Canada. Health Reports. 2011; 22(4).
Reported need for and access to oral health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
by Kellie Murphy, Didier Garriguet and Michelle Rotermann
The COVID-19 pandemic caused wide-ranging disruptions to daily life, including temporary closures of schools and some businesses. Access to many types of health care was also affected. For oral care, this generally meant suspending routine and preventive treatments because dental hygiene visits were deemed a high risk of viral transmission owing to the use of aerosol-generating procedures and the close proximity of dentists or hygienists to patients. Consequently, dental services were initially limited to the provision of emergency services aimed at preserving a patient’s oral function or managing severe pain. Over time, restrictions eased and services resumed as dental offices were appropriately outfitted with physical barriers and air purifiers and as supplies of personal protective equipment were secured.
Full article PDF versionRelated articles
Reported need for and access to oral health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
- Frank K. Difficulties accessing health care in Canada during the COVID- 19 pandemic: Comparing individuals with and without chronic conditions. Health Report. 2022; 33(11): DOI: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2022011/article/00002-eng.htm
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