COVID-19 and Long-Term Care Policy for Older People in Canada

Abstract

Older people are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, including and especially people living in long-term care facilities. In this Perspective, we discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care policy in Canada. More specifically, we use the example of recent developments in Quebec, where a tragedy in a specific facility is acting as a dramatic "focusing event". It draws attention to the problems facing long-term care facilities, considering existing policy legacies and the opening of a "policy window" that may facilitate comprehensive reforms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Aging; Canada; Quebec; agenda-setting; focusing events; home care; long-term care; nursing homes; policy windows; private facilities.