A holiday message from the Canadian Association for Long Term Care
Ottawa, ON – December 22, 2022 – As the year comes to a close, the Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC) is expressing our gratitude to Canada’s entire long term care community, including residents, their families, staff and volunteers, for their unwavering commitment to caring for their fellow Canadians and providing quality long term care for all.
Despite the challenges of the past few years, our sector continues to make meaningful strides on several fronts. Since our last holiday message, vaccinations have had a tremendous impact on reducing severe illness from COVID-19, and we’ve seen investments in improved Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) measures in long-term care homes across the country. This progress has undoubtably made homes safer for residents, staff and visitors alike.
Supporting our sector’s workforce remains a key priority for our association. We have seen a greater level of consciousness at various levels of government about the issues surrounding staff recruitment, retention, and mental health in long term care. Staff are the backbone of our sector and, despite the numerous challenges that they have faced, they continue to work tirelessly to support residents and their families. Many long-term care employers are providing mental health supports for staff, but capacity and resources remain a barrier.
This is why, in 2022, CALTC was extremely pleased to receive a grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada to support the mental health of those most affected by COVID-19. CALTC then established an exciting partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada to develop a customized version of The Working Mind (TWM), an evidence-based training that aims to help people reduce stigma towards mental health in their places of work. We are thrilled to report that work on this program progressed significantly in 2022 and look forward to delivering the first long term care-specific “train-the-trainer” course in the new year. For more information about The Working Mind, visit ltcmentalhealth.ca.
Finally, CALTC and its members have been busy developing evidence-informed policy solutions that address key challenges facing our sector, including climate change, health human resources and data collection in long term care. We believe that these are areas where policy changes and investments will make the largest impact on the quality of life for seniors living in long-term care. To advance our priorities, we will continue to advocate for a strong partnership between the federal government, provincial governments and sector stakeholders. To read our policy solutions, visit caltc.ca/advocacy.
We look forward to continuing our work to advance Canada’s long term care sector and support both residents and staff in the new year. On behalf of the Canadian Association for Long Term Care, we are wishing you and your loved ones a happy, safe and restful holiday season.
