April 27, 2021

Several researchers at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging recently published a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association discussing the impacts of COVID-19 on long-term care (LTC) homes. The paper, titled Reflecting on the COVID-19 Pandemic: Themes from Long Term Care, is available to read here. 

Schlegel Research Chairs Dr. George Heckman, Andrew Costa and Veronique Boscart came together with other experts and made several recommendations to improve outcomes in LTC during an outbreak. Their research from the pandemic showed that ensuring proper staffing levels and updating infrastructure were some of the changes to support safety in senior living. 

“Community outbreaks and lack of personal protective equipment were the primary drivers of outbreak occurrence in long-term care homes, and the built environment was the major determinant of outbreak severity” says Heckman. 

To learn more about this study, read the University of Waterloo release here.