Canadian Historian Brings Attention to COVID-19 Related Deaths in Long Term Care Homes

On Tuesday November 14th, Megan Davis held a public exhibit on COVID-19 in residential care, at Concordia University, in downtown Montreal. The exhibit was titled "COVID in the House of Old."

Davies, an activist and historian, created the travelling project to focus on Canada's failure to provide basic care for its elders and staff in long-term care homes. 

Through storytelling, the exhibit illustrates the stories of people who have died in long-term care, and some who have survived. Nine chairs are displayed and personalized to the elders and staff's whose stories they recount.

During the first wave — its first seven months, Canada accounted for over 7,000 deaths in long-term care facilities. Quebec was responsible for a larger part of it.

In March 2022, the province of Quebec observed a minute of silence to commemorate ​​10,518 Quebecers who had died of COVID-19 since 2020. The number increased to 14,213 by the end of the month.

Quebec’s long-term care facilities were responsible for almost half of the deaths among elderly residents.

There had been a failure from the province to invest in long term care homes, also known as CHSLDs. During the pandemic’s first wave, Quebec reported that nearly 5,000 deaths were in elder care and long term care homes. As of April 2022, the total amounted to 8,170 deaths in eldercare facilities in Quebec.

Montreal was briefly coined Canada’s COVID-19 hotspot during the beginning of the pandemic.

Horrific conditions were exposed at multiple long term care homes, in particular at CHSLD Herron in Dorval, where seniors were found stranded, without staff, food or water. Some were even found left lying in soiled beds, and with days-old dirty bandages. Some Herron residents, with COVID-19 symptoms, were left to themselves for days, before being taken to hospitals. Some were even left on the verge of death. In total, nearly 50 elders died at the CHSLD Herron in Dorval.

The long term care home’s first COVID-related death was on March 27, 2020. Three nurses and four practical nurses stopped working. They all, later, tested positive for COVID.

On March 28, two more residents died according to the death records. Two weeks later, the death toll reached 33.

As more residents showed symptoms of COVID-19, basic health care ceased. When administrators of the local health authority visited the long term care home, only three employees were left to look after the 139 elders.

CHSLD Herron was accused of negligence towards its patients. 

In November 2020, it was announced that the Herron CHSLD would close. The facility was sold in August 2022.

Addressing the number of COVID-19 related deaths in elder care homes, Davies stated, "I would like to see care homes incorporate the hospice model .... That is one thing that I think could radically change our seniors care. The other is one thing that we only have in one province, and that is a senior's advocate." She hopes that elder healthcare in long term facilities becomes more person-centered and supportive of families.