Seniors asked to share COVID stories

Senior citizens struggling to cope with the loss of family visits to their care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic now have a way of getting their stories out.

B.C.’s Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie called the situation heartbreaking for 40,000 seniors in long-term care and assisted living who went without visits for three months and who are still subject to restrictions under new COVID health guidelines.

McKenzie launched a province-wide survey that will allow residents of long-term care and assisted living and their family members to tell of their experience during this pandemic.

“Of the many hardships that COVID-19 has brought, one of the most heartbreaking has been the need to limit those who can visit residents of long-term care and assisted living,” Mackenzie said. “Restricting visitors to long-term care and assisted living facilities has been an enormous sacrifice for our seniors and their families, but it has been necessary for us to protect those who are most vulnerable to this virus.

“The impact however is having a profound effect on many people and it is time for these people to have their voices heard and their stories told.”

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Statistics provided show approximately 125 people in seniors’ homes have died of COVID-19 in B.C. since the pandemic began and another 2,000 have passed away from other ailments.

The new survey, Staying Apart to Stay Safe: The Impact of Visitor Restrictions on Long Term Care and Assisted Living, asks residents and family members about their experiences before the pandemic and how they have been impacted over the past seven months.

The survey, which can be completed until September 30, is available online.

It is also available in paper form and by telephone for seniors who don’t use computers.

“I encourage anyone affected to participate in this survey. We need to hear your voice as we plan for a future that will see us living with this pandemic well into the next year,” Mackenzie said.

Options include:

1. The survey can be completed online at www.carehomevisits.ca
2. The survey can be downloaded and a print copy can be completed and mailed in.
3. Residents and/or family members can call the Office of the Seniors Advocate at 1-877-952-3181 and request that a copy be sent to them in the mail.
4. Residents and/or family members can call the Office of the Seniors Advocate and request to complete the survey over the phone.