Strengthening COVID-19 resilience of linguistic minorities in long-term care in Quebec, New-Brunswick and Manitoba.

This project was developed by Dr. Idrissa Beogo of the School of Nursing at the University of Ottawa and includes a team of researchers from Université Laval, Université de Moncton and Université du Québec en Outaouais. This project was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Research team:

• Idrissa Beogo, UOttawa
• Diane Tapp, ULaval
• Stephanie Collin, U of Moncton
• Eric Tchouaket Nguemeleu, UQO
• Drissa Sia, UQO
• Marie-Pierre Gagnon, ULaval
• Jean Ramdé, ULaval
• (Coordinator) Jean-Claude Bationo, ULaval

Background :

In Canada, 81% of deaths in the first wave of COVID-19 occurred in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). In addition to this heavy toll, public health measures that reduce contact and limit visits have increased the isolation and loneliness of elderly people in LTC facilities in particular. These vulnerable collateral effects, which were not anticipated in the anti-COVID-19 response, are strongly felt by LTC facilities serving seniors in a minority context, mainly because of the ordinary difficulties of accessing the health system. This unique situation has compelled LTC facilities to develop promising practices to ensure that social capital is maintained between seniors, their families and caregivers, in order to break their social isolation and loneliness. Successful practices also include digital solutions and this project will build on these, focusing on linguistic and cultural minorities (English-speaking seniors in Quebec and French-speaking seniors in Manitoba and New Brunswick).

The goal is to assess current practices used in residences, and the experience of residents, families and LTC staff in reducing loneliness and seniors in the context of the pandemic. Ultimately, the project will test a virtual exchange application between residents, families and staff. The study will take place in Manitoba (Winnipeg), Quebec (Quebec City) and New Brunswick (Paquetville and Lamèque).

The project is being implemented in two phases:

Phase 1 (completed): This phase consisted of an analysis of the practices implemented and the formulation of expectations to break the social isolation and loneliness of seniors. These data were supplemented by interviews with managers, front-line workers and families. The knowledge generated was enriched by a scoping review and a deliberative workshop.

Phase 2: The second phase focuses on the different experiences of digital use reported by LTC facilities in order to co-build an innovative platform with an intervention group for a 4-month pilot phase. The evaluation of the success of the implementation of the best practices will be based on the success indicators defined in a consensual way from the five dimensions of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).