Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Nursing home workers at catastrophic levels of burnout and trauma

Carole A. Estabrooks, PhD and Yuting Song
Conditions
February 9, 2021
Share
Tweet
Share

It’s been almost a year since nursing home workers began fighting on the front lines of COVID-19. They’ve witnessed and experienced extreme trauma. They’ve seen seniors they care for suffer in fear and loneliness during prolonged and repeated lockdowns.  They’ve seen residents fall catastrophically ill and too many of them die.

More than 17,000 seniors are dead from COVID-19 in Canada; the majority have occurred in long-term care homes.

They’ve seen the bodies, too many bodies. They’ve fielded the panicked calls and pleas from families anxious with prolonged separation from their loved ones and full of grief for those they’ve lost.

Nursing home staff have also watched their colleagues fall ill with the deadly virus, suffer long-hauler symptoms or, in far too many cases, die tragically young. At least 33 health workers in Canada have died from COVID-19, the majority of them care aides – the youngest, age 19.

They’ve endured their own sleepless nights and anxiety, some staying away from their homes for long periods, worried they’d bring COVID-19 back to their families.

They’ve worked long shifts, understaffed, underpaid, working over-time, and stretched too thin to do all the tasks that need to be done to keep the vulnerable humans in their care well. All the while, they’ve seen some blame them for tragedies befalling Canada’s seniors.  When hospital doctors and nurses got applause, they got finger-pointing.

Nursing home workers are at catastrophic levels of burnout and trauma. And still our governments have largely failed to come to their aid in meaningful ways to keep both them, and our vulnerable seniors, safe. How did it get to this?

We’ve always undervalued nursing home staff.

Care aides, also known as personal support workers, are the largest workforce in long-term care in Canada, providing upwards of 90 percent of the direct care. Their role is central to the quality of care and quality of life of individuals living in nursing homes.

In a recent article for JAMA Network OPEN, our team at Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC) collected data across more than 90 long-term care facilities in BC, Alberta, and Manitoba and found that care aides are both a neglected and socioeconomically disadvantaged workforce, as well as a critical source of emotional and social support for residents.

We examined survey data collected between September 2019 and February 2020 – just before the pandemic – and found that the care aide workforce is under significant strain.

Data show the majority of care aides are middle-aged to older women who speak English as an additional language. They work in a resource-constrained environment.  More than 70 percent of care aides reported moderate to high risk for emotional exhaustion.

Care aides also reported frequently rushing or missing essential care tasks, and one half reported they worked short-staffed daily or weekly in the last month. Care tasks left undone due to lack of time on the most recent shifts included taking residents for a walk (41 percent), talking with residents (34 percent), mouth care (16 percent), toileting (10 percent), bathing (9 percent) and feeding (6 percent).

ADVERTISEMENT

The majority also experience significant rates of dementia-related verbal, physical and sexual behaviors from residents on a routine basis.

That was before COVID-19.

Imagine, now, the same people, already overwhelmingly on the brink of burnout and mental health distress almost single-handedly holding the fort during a pandemic that has swept through nursing homes with vengeance. They are warriors without witness.

We’ve had a nursing home staffing shortage across this country for many years prior to the pandemic – it is catastrophic now. Is it any wonder why?

Governments and operators are finally coming up with some creative solutions to address staffing shortages – though years too late, and in a piecemeal approach.

A BC nursing home has offered to pay relatives to provide care. Ontario and Quebec created new support roles with free training in hopes students and the unemployed will apply. Post-secondary institutions are offering fast-tracked training certificates. And several provinces have implemented a salary top up.

This is the time for meaningful federal leadership.

Growing old, becoming infirm, developing dementia – these things must not mean that any of us is less Canadian, less human, less deserving of a good end of life, lived with dignity, free from fear.  Prime Minister Trudeau, this would be an enduring legacy.

Carole A. Estabrooks is a professor, faculty of nursing, University of Alberta and Scientific Director of the Knowledge Utilization Studies Program (KUSP) and the pan-Canadian Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC) research program, Alberta, Canada. Yuting Song is a postdoctoral fellow. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The pandemic has reminded me of the physician-patient relationship's precious nature

February 9, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

After a stroke, a physician experiences true vulnerability

February 9, 2021 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: COVID, Geriatrics, Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The pandemic has reminded me of the physician-patient relationship's precious nature
Next Post >
After a stroke, a physician experiences true vulnerability

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Carole A. Estabrooks, PhD and Yuting Song

  • Our seniors deserve better. It’s time we all paid more attention.

    Carole A. Estabrooks, PhD and Yuting Song

Related Posts

  • Almost half of health care workers are not doctors and nurses. Health policies must address their burnout too.

    Irving Gold
  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • The gender imbalance in nursing

    Cole Edmonson, DNP and Paulette Anest, RN
  • Health care workers should not be targets

    Lori E. Johnson
  • Why is trauma activation so expensive?

    Skeptical Scalpel, MD
  • What makes health care workers superhuman

    Eric Tian

More in Conditions

  • Earwax could hold secrets to cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease

    Sandra Vamos, EdD and Domenic Alaimo
  • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

    Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
  • Why health care must adapt to meet the needs of older adults with disabilities

    Lynn A. Schaefer, PhD
  • 4 traits every new attending physician needs to thrive

    Sarah Epstein
  • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

    Pearl Jones, MD
  • Why local cardiac CT scans could save your life

    Benjamin Cohen, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

      Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD | Tech
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

      Kara Pepper, MD | Physician
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

      Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD | Tech
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

      Kara Pepper, MD | Physician
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...