Resident who rarely leave their rooms, a family told “we don’t have the staff,” a person dying in hospital less than a day after leaving their long-term care (LTC) home: these are some of the bleak realities too many Canadians and their loved ones face as they age.
These heartbreaking realities were shared with the Canadian Institute for Health Information through unpublished surveys of families and LTC staff about aging with dignity.
Moments of lost dignity are not invisible to the health system. But historically, a lopsided focus on clinical indicators left data gaps in our ability to measure and understand lived experience, and ultimately dignity, alongside clinical risks. This is something health-system leaders, clinicians and families are actively striving to change.
