Canadians have ‘deluded’ themselves about the state of long-term care: doctor

In an interview with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson, Dr. Samir Sinha said fixing the heartbreaking condition of long-term care homes recently exposed by the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic will take more than money — it will take real thinking about what models of care the country wants.

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Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health and University Health Network, Dr. Samir Sinha, tells Mercedes Stephenson Canada is lagging behind other countries when it comes to funding long-term care. 

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Selley: Shameful nursing home report shows how Canada's lockdown strategy went wrong

By Chris Selley

Second of all, we know where the greatest risk lives: not just among the elderly — 96 per cent of fatalities were over 60, according to the latest federal reporting — but very specifically in long-term care homes. Ryerson University’s National Institute on Ageing estimates 81 per cent of deaths nationwide and in Ontario, 82 per cent in Quebec and 95 per cent in Nova Scotia, which has the third-highest fatality rate among provinces, are linked to such environments.

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Leaving out long-term care was Medicare’s original sin- and we’re paying for it now

By Aaron Wherry

The weaknesses in long-term care the pandemic exposed were identified in a report issued last fall by the National Institute on Ageing. Among other things, the report pointed out that staff in long-term care facilities are underpaid and overworked. Many long-term care workers have to hold down jobs at multiple facilities to make a living — something that likely contributed to the spread of COVID-19.

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Military teams report horrible conditions on long term care homes

With Kelly Cutrara

Dr. Samir Sinha spoke with Kelly Cutrara on AM 649 about the military team's report on the conditions in 5 LTC homes & says what the soldiers witnessed really speaks to deeply seated issues that clearly existed in these homes & likely many others.

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COVID-19 exposed horrors in long-term care. What should Ottawa do next?

By Alex Ballingall

Dr. Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the National Institute on Ageing, said this “jurisdictional bun fight” over long-term care is a problem. After the 2015 election, when he was advising the Liberal government during negotiations for a new national health accord, Sinha said provinces wanted money for long-term care with no federal strings attached.

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Canada’s soldiers have provided a wake-up call for our long-term care system

By Samir Sinha and Michael Nicin

Canada’s armed forces have bravely endured and seen far worse things abroad than at home – or so we thought. A clear and utterly disturbing dispatch released by the military this week brought to light the horrific and unimaginable working and living conditions of staff and residents at five long-term care homes in Ontario. An additional report outlined gaps in care at some nursing homes in Quebec. While the military had been sent in to support the fight against COVID-19, armed forces personnel discovered damage far beyond what the virus had caused.

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Geriatrician reacts to scathing military report on conditions in 5 Ontario long-term are homes

Dr. Samir Sinha joins CBC News Network's Andrew Nichols to discuss a new report about poor conditions at Ontario LTC homes. Reacting to the report on conditions - Dr. Sinha says, “I want to thank the military for getting involved-willing to put their lives at risk but more importantly willing to speak the truth, willing to show what they have seen.".

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City-run long-term-care homes have seen fewer COVID-19 deaths. Are staff wages the reason?

By Jennifer Pagliaro and David Rider

I think what’s tragic about this is that we have our military called in to lend an extra pair of hands, but what they saw were staff afraid to use (personal protective equipment) or staff who may not have had the right training to use it. There were systemic issues that were not the result of the pandemic alone. They were part of long-standing systemic issues.

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The Star published an investigation into long-term care in 2003. What’s changed since then?

By Moira Welsh

I think what’s tragic about this is that we have our military called in to lend an extra pair of hands, but what they saw were staff afraid to use (personal protective equipment) or staff who may not have had the right training to use it. There were systemic issues that were not the result of the pandemic alone. They were part of long-standing systemic issues.

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Nationalizing senior care

The NIA’s executive director, Michael Nicin, joined host Simi Sara on Mornings with Simi. The topic: ‘Seniors advocates say nationalizing care homes isn’t a magic bullet and won’t solve the care problems that some seniors are experiencing in their homes.’

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Most Canadians support federal takeover of long-term care facilities, poll finds

By Patrick Swadden

Seniors have been the hardest hit age demographic by the COVID-19 pandemic, as recent estimates from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at Ryerson University in Toronto show that 82 per cent of all coronavirus deaths in Canada have occurred in LTCFs.

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What we’re watching: Liberals pitch plan to expand COVID-19 committee meetings

By Kady O’Malley

Over at HUMAN RESOURCES, members will hear from the National Association of Federal Retirees, the National Institute on Ageing and Reseau FADOQ, as well as economists Shamez Kassam and Kevin Milligan. (Monday 6 – 8 PM). Watch committee hearing here.

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Ontario long-term care homes faced 3 times more respiratory infection outbreaks than retirement homes from 2014-19

By Victoria Gibson

“There are these consistent, underlying systemic vulnerabilities,” Samir Sinha — who has been tracking COVID-19 outbreaks for Ryerson’s National Institute of Ageing — told iPolitics. He pointed to issues around multi-bed rooms, especially in older homes, and the practice of staff moving between facilities that was halted in mid-April.

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Is it depression? Does dad need reminders to eat? Family seeks answers to father’s 22 pound weight loss in retirement home

By Moira Welsh

Dr. Samir Sinha, said homes’ interpretation of government directives, or their additional rules, can have an adverse impact on fragile seniors. “There is a saying we have that is called ‘good policy, bad practice,’ ” Sinha said. “The challenge I am seeing here with my patients living in retirement homes is that there is no policy that says in a home without an outbreak communal dining is not allowed. I’ve seen homes isolating seniors in their rooms when there is no reason to.”

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Dear Grandma, read this before you visit the little ones

By Scottie Andrew

“We talked to Dr. Samir Sinha. And this is what he says: Until there's a vaccine, the most vulnerable people should continue to stay home if they can. That includes grandparents over 60 like you and people with chronic illnesses. You see, people in those categories are more likely to become severely ill if they contract coronavirus. We don't want that to be you.”

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Nationalizing care homes won’t necessarily improve the situation

By John Ibbitson

Michael Nicin, executive director of the National Institute on Ageing, says proof that one ownership model is better than another at keeping residents safe just isn’t there. “At the moment, we’re seeing ideological fervour more than we are reasonable discussion on available data,” he said.

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People who care for the elderly are essential workers. It’s long past time to start treating them right

By Heather Scoffield

“COVID has revealed where the problems are and where the changes need to be,” says Michael Nicin, executive director of the National Institute on Aging. Increased unionization will likely help improving wages and conditions, he said, and the unions are indeed already pushing hard. But there’s also a need to look at why people with similar jobs in hospitals are paid so much more, and work with better protective gear. There’s demand for change on the client side of the equation as well.

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Coronavirus: Facts vs. Fears

Dr. Samir Sinha joined B.C Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie on CTV News to talk about financial supports recently announced by government for seniors- the government announced that Canadian seniors living on a fixed income will be able to get a one-time payment from the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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COVID-19 has exposed ugly failings of our politics. Here’s how Ottawa can build on the lessons of the pandemic

By Tonda MacCharles, Bruce Campion-Smith and Alex Boutilier

The National Institute on Aging, based at Ryerson University, urges governments to consider a radical shift, one that would see more money spent to support an aging population with home- or community-based care, as opposed to care delivered in buildings housing large numbers of seniors. It points to countries like Denmark as success stories

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Federal government giving seniors one-time payment up to $500 to help with COVID-19 costs

By Charlie Pinkerton

The National Institute on Ageing (NIA) told the Toronto Star last week that 3,436 residents and six staff members had died from the illness as of last Wednesday, when there were 4,167 deaths from the disease in the country – meaning that 82 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada at that time had come in nursing homes.

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Canada’s pandemic record is good, but we failed when it came to protecting senior homes

By the Editorial Board

This disparity was made plain last week when the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), a Toronto-based think tank, said that 82 per cent of the COVID-19-related deaths in Canada involved residents of nursing homes and seniors residences.

Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, effectively confirmed that number when she said federal data put the figure at 81 per cent.

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Strobel: S.O.S – Save Our Seniors

By Mike Strobel

“We’re seeing that the real epicentre of this epidemic has been long-term care homes across the country,” Dr. Samir Sinha told CTV.

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No easy fix for long-term care home problems highlighted by COVID-19

By Laura Osman

Dr. Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the National Institute on Ageing at Ryerson University, said it's not yet clear if there are major differences between for-profit or private homes this early into the pandemic. All models of long-term care have been struggling with the same problems for a long time, he said.

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The House with Chris Hall – Work in a COVID-19 world

“We should’ve started 30 years ago, it’s hard to catch up to demographics, but we now have an imperative to fix LTC we can no longer ignore,” said Michael Nicin, Executive Director at the National Institute on Ageing on moving long-term care into the Canada Health Act?

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Canadian Labour Congress calls for end to privately owned long-term care facilities after COVID-19 deaths

By Robert Fife

According to the National Institute of Ageing at Ryerson University in Toronto, 82 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada were connected to long-term care homes. On Thursday, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam also said that about 81 per cent of deaths are linked to long-term care facilities.

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Dr. Samir Sinha on how we can improve our geriatric care – Kelly Cutrara

Dr. Samir Sinha joined Kelly Cutrara on Global News Radio 640 Toronto to discuss the current crisis in long-term care with COVID-19 and says that over 3,300 deaths in our country have occurred in these homes - this accounts for 82% of COVID-19 deaths.

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After the flood: How the next wave (or waves) of COVID-19 will look in Canada

By Richard Warnica

In the first wave, the main victims, 82 per cent of them, according to a Ryerson University (National Institute on Ageing) count, have been vulnerable people, most of them seniors, living in long-term care. Those deaths will go down as one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in Canadian history. But the way they were clustered could have a dangerous effect on the broader public too, especially among older adults living at home, believes Dr. Samir Sinha.

“You might actually see an odd situation where people start to really underestimate the risk to older people living in the community,” he said.

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82% of Canada’s COVID-19 deaths have been in long-term care, new data reveals

By Tonda MacCharles

The National Institute on Aging says that as of May 6, 3,436 residents and six staff members of long term care settings had died of COVID-19, representing 82 per cent of the 4,167 deaths reported as of Wednesday. Dr. Samir Sinha, research director at the institute, says it is a staggering figure, given the roughly 400,000 residents living in care homes represent just one per cent of Canada’s population.

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Calgary woman moves dad from long-term care home amid calls to stop the deaths

By Jennifer Lee

Long-term care expert, Dr. Samir Sinha has been monitoring how the pandemic has evolved across the country. "Alberta's not the province I worry about the most. But I'm still concerned given there's so many homes that have gone into outbreak there and there's still mounting deaths everyday," he said. "These are some of our most vulnerable Albertans and COVID — as it's been getting into these homes — [has] killed about 17 or 18 per cent of those folks who've gotten COVID. So it's been spreading through and with deadly consequences." According to Sinha more than 80 per cent of Canadian COVID-19 deaths have been in long-term care, so Alberta — at 73 per cent — falls below the national average.

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The Proportion of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care was measured in 14 countries. Canada has the worst record.

By Patty Winsa

Independent analysis by the National Institute on Ageing’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Tracker Open Data Working Group suggests the number of deaths in the province’s long-term-care homes, retirement homes and assisted living facilities could be as high as 1,021, according to the report.

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‘Where the tragedy really lies’: The crisis in Canada’s long-term care homes

By Ryan Flanagan

"Even the little community transmission we've had has been able to get in and spread around and spread between homes," Dr. Samir Sinha said. "That's where the tragedy really lies for Canada." Sinha's explanation for how COVID-19 could be so destructive in long-term care homes while the rest of the country has avoided such a severe hit echoes that of many others who have closely studied the issue. He said Canada's senior-care sector has long struggled with underfunding and neglect, leading to consequences that include workers being employed at multiple homes and frequently moving between them, making it easier to spread a virus from one facility to another.

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Report: Canada has highest proportion of COVID-19 deaths at long-term care facilities

Now that we're here, what do we do about this? "Make sure we are restricting non-essential visitors from homes. Make sure homes are well staffed. Make sure staff know how to take on and off PPE,” said Dr. Samir Sinha.

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Ontario inches closer to allowing more doctor support at long-term care home

By Charlie Pinkerton

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 18,310 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario. Out of all of the cases in the provinces, more than one-third – 6815 in total – were in patients at nursing homes, according to data collected by Ryerson University’s National Institute on Ageing.

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Study paints grim picture of Canada’s care-home mortality rates

By Blair Crawford

But delays in reporting by Public Health Ontario mean that number, too, could be vastly higher. Canada’s National Institute on Ageing’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Tracker suggests Ontario has more than 6,300 cases and 1,021 deaths in long-term care settings — a 62 per cent mortality rate.

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They said there was no playbook for dealing with COVID-19 outbreak at nursing homes. There were several.

By Alyshah Hasham and Jesse McLean

The directive also advised: Wherever possible, homes would work with staff to limit the number of facilities they work at “to minimize risk of patients to exposure to COVID-19.” This was only a recommendation, and would not become a mandatory policy until a month later. “This was one of the ways that SARS was getting between facilities,” said Dr. Samir Sinha, head of geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network. “So what did the SARS Commission say back in 2004? We have to end that practice. But we never did — because it would mean we had to fund the system better.”

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Union calls for public inquiry, criminal investigations into COVID-19 deaths at long-term care homes

By Lauren Pelley

"I don't think our focus should be on launching a public inquiry while we're in the middle of fighting the fire," said Dr. Samir Sinha. However, with 20 per cent of the province's care homes battling COVID-19 outbreaks, he stressed that people across Ontario — including residents' families and healthcare workers — are looking for answers. "We do need to understand why things happened the way they did, and if there are things we could have done to stem the level of death," Sinha said.

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Nova Scotia struggles to contain coronavirus outbreak ravaging nursing home

By Greg Mercer and Kelly Grant

“The tragedy unfolding at Northwood is more proof that Canada is experiencing ‘a tale of two epidemics,’ Dr. Sinha said. At least 2,330 residents of Canadian seniors’ homes have died of COVID-19 as of Friday, according to Dr. Sinha and a team of researchers at the National Institute on Ageing, which has also been tracking deaths in nursing and retirement homes. That works out to about 70 per cent of Canada’s COVID-19 deaths.”

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Canadians share why they did or didn’t remove a parent from a care home

By Al Donato

Dr. Samir Sinha sympathizes with Canadians wracked with worry. He told HuffPost Canada that those who have experienced a COVID-19 death are “just in agony over feeling helpless about how they couldn’t help their loved ones.”For Sinha, it is important to recognize that care home residents have rights and should feel empowered to choose to leave if they want to.“If a resident says, ‘Thank you for trying to make this as safe as possible, but I’d rather go and live with my loved ones,’ we have to respect their decision,” he said. “We shouldn’t be paternalistic to families and say, ‘No, you have to stay here.’” With no easy answers, making the tough call requires informed choices by the senior or their legal substitute decision-maker, which are usually their adult children.

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Coronavirus outbreak: Was the COVID-19 crisis in Canada's care homes preventable?

Dawna Friesen talks to Dr. Samir Sinha about the extent of the COVID-19 outbreak and what the biggest failings that have allowed such a crisis to take hold in these homes

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What it's like moving a loved one to a COVID-19 field hospital

"[Saad] kindly walked me through what they were thinking," Sinha said. "[Saad] assured me that they had actually been consulting with geriatricians like myself and helped clarify things that made me feel that this field hospital would be taking into account the needs of some of the frail, vulnerable people living in our long-term care homes.

Sinha said he's "confident that my concerns have been heard and I'm confident that my concerns are being well thought of."

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How Ontario’s plan to stop Nursing home staff from spreading COVID-19 falls short of B.C’s

By Jessica Smith Cross

"Right now as more and more homes go into outbreak every single day, my only concerns is, will homes have the bandwidth and the capacity to make the arrangements they need so we can effectively limit the introduction and spread of COVID-19," said Sinha. "My only concern is that maybe a week from now, we truly haven't been able to limit staff movement between homes, which would remain then a vulnerability for COVID-19 to be spread between homes and get into homes as well."

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All in a Day with Alan Neal

Some families are considering temporarily moving their loved ones out of retirement or long-term care homes. Dr. Dawn Stacey joined the show to talk about tools developed by the Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa University, the Champlain LHIN and the National Institute on Ageing to help families weigh their options.

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It will take nearly a week to roll out Ontario’s emergency order for curbing COVID-19 deaths in seniors homes. Doctors say that’s risky

By Kenyon Wallace

NIA Director of Health Policy Research, Dr. Samir Sinha, said he assumed when the government brought in the emergency order that it would be effective immediately. “Every day is crucial. We’re losing lives every single day,” he said, noting that British Columbia, which saw the first case of community transmission in Canada in early March, restricted long-term-care workers to one facility two weeks ago. That province has since made personal support workers provincial employees, thereby allowing them to collect full-time wages while working at one long-term-care home. Such a move has provided stability in a profession characterized by low pay and a lack of benefits, necessitating many personal support workers to work at multiple facilities to make ends meet, Sinha said.

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Ontario Today with Rita Celli

NIA Executive Director, Michael Nicin, joined Rita Celli to react to Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s announcement on long-term care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen in at 1:07– episode ‘Teens and kids making a difference during the pandemic.’

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Fighting COVID-19 in Long-Term Care

Dr. Samir Sinha joined the panel on the Agenda with Steve Paiken to discuss fighting COVID-19 in long-term care.

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Ford vows to overhaul long-term care after the pandemic to fix the ‘cracks and holes’ in the system

By Jessica Smith Cross and Sneh Duggal

Dr. Samir Sinha said that both long-term care homes and retirement homes have systemic vulnerabilities to infections that include housing older, frailer populations in close quarters. The staffing issue that the government is seeking to curb with an emergency order — staff moving between multiple homes, and potentially bringing infections with them — was a vulnerability before the pandemic, and will remain one afterwards.

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‘Everyone knew this could happen:’ The deadly spread of COVID-19 through Canada’s seniors’ homes

By Moira Welsh

Quality data is key to prevention, said Dr. Samir Sinha. His staff (at the National Institute on Ageing) have been trying to cobble together details of outbreaks and deaths in Ontario’s 630 long-term-care and 775 retirement homes. “It’s important so we can have an accurate picture on how the situation is unfolding,” Sinha said. “If we don’t understand these things or have the level of knowledge we need, we are likely to repeat mistakes when we have the next pandemic and make assumptions on data that was not correct.”

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Long-term care homes ground zero for COVID-19

NIA Director of Health Policy Research, Dr. Samir Sinha joined the National for a special show on the impact of COVID-19 on long-term care hoes in Canada and say,” If you have a loved one in care, reach out to them. If you are anxious, they are anxious too. Give them a call or video chat and see what you could do to make them feel less anxious.”

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Advocates wonder why long-term care COVID warnings were ignored

By Jonathan Gatehouse

Dr. Samir Sinha, NIA Director of Health Policy Research says, “the coronavirus outbreak seems to be exposing "unique systemic vulnerabilities" within Canada's long-term care system — an underfunded patchwork of public and private homes, all governed by rules and regulations that differ from province to province. Testing for the virus among residents and staff remains sporadic, while long-term care workers have limited access to personal protection equipment (PPE), and less training on how to properly use it.”

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Dr. Samir Sinha joined the CTV evening news to discuss COVID-19 in long-term care and retirement homes as another outbreak is reported. He says, “We need to stop people from working in multiple homes –the way we can do that is offer people full time work where full time work is available and give them benefits like sick days. If we stabilize the work force- we’ll realize that years of chronic under funding in the sector has created vulnerability, and we’re now seeing its ugly toll.”

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We don’t have a COVID-19 epidemic: deaths in long-term care show we have two

By Kate Allen and Jennifer Yang

Ontario is in the midst of two parallel COVID-19 epidemics, health experts say: one in the community at large, where there are encouraging signs that physical distancing is working, and one in seniors homes, an ongoing “disaster” whose true scope we are only beginning to see.

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Telling the truth during a pandemic has its consequences

By Samir Sinha –Opinion piece

"When people look to doctors like me for advice, they often ask what I would do if it were me and my family member going through the same thing. I could not have in good conscience looked someone in the eye and said anything other than what I said to Picard — that if it were my mother in a care home not complying with evidence-based infection control practices, I would take them out. Of course, I knew that this wasn’t a practical or even possible option for the majority of families with loved ones in care. But I said it to underscore the urgency of the issue and advocate for immediate action. Every care home in Canada needs to ensure it is doing what it should, and not give their residents, their families, and their staff a false sense of security. The good news is that the article immediately drew the attention and razor sharp focus of decision makers that I work with at the provincial and federal levels. Within a week, new directives were being released in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, while the Public Health Agency of Canada even stepped in to launch new federal guidelines encouraging the widespread implementation of our iron ring formula across the country."

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and the world on April 12

These outbreaks are a "sad shame, occurring in homes with the "most vulnerable individuals in our society" who need expert care, said Dr. Samir Sinha. COVID-19 can get into long-term care homes and spread partly because of staff can't always get a full-time position and have to work at more than one facility, he told CBC News on Sunday. It's asking a lot of these workers to be at risk for COVID-19 themselves, he said. "When you're working for minimum wage, when you don't have sick benefits, to a certain extent you can appreciate why some workers didn't want to put themselves in the line of fire."

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Quebec coroner investigates Montreal care home deaths

Dr. Samir Sinha joined Global News to talk about concerns surrounding staffing levels at long-term care homes in Canada, as more facilities report COVID-19 outbreaks among residents and workers in the wake of 31 deaths at a Montreal seniors’ home.

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'I've lived a good life': Some seniors say they'll refuse ventilator if they get COVID-19

By Ducan McCue

"Every older person in Canada should truly be compelled to do advance care planning now," said Dr. Samir Sinha."Because, frankly, when we have a virus out there that's highly contagious, that has a predilection for older people … and a 30 per cent-plus 'kill-rate' for those living in long-term care homes, everybody should at least be having the conversation."

Nevertheless, Sinha emphasizes no Canadian should be required to sign a DNR or "relinquish their right to access the ventilator."

Ultimately, he says advance care plans allow people to truly understand the risks — and opportunities — of medical intervention.

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Cross Country Checkup- COVID-19 Q&A

NIA Director of Health Policy Research, Dr. Samir Sinha joined CBC’s Cross Country Checkup for a special COVID-19 Q&A to answer audience questions and offer advice on how to help seniors get through the pandemic.

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Nurses allege lack of cleaning and isolation contributed to deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Calgary care home

By Jennifer Lee

Dr. Samir Sinha spoke with CBC News, “Dr. Sinha data shows the rates of asymptomatic spread are more significant that previously understood — which means restricting non-essential visitors is key. While provinces like B.C. and Ontario locked down long-term care homes fairly quickly, Alberta didn't put that measure in place until Tuesday, when it banned most visits.

Sinha also underlines the need for all workers to wear masks, as Revera recently mandated, since staff could unwittingly bring the virus into care homes.

When it comes to isolation practices, Sinha says long-term care residents who are sick with COVID-19 should be physically separated from those who have no signs — a step Revera isn't taking.”

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Should you consider moving your loved ones from nursing homes?

Dr. Samir Sinha join’s CTV’s Your Morning to discuss what people thinking of removing their loved ones from long-term care should consider.

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What to consider before removing a loved one from long-term care

By Jackie Dunham

According to NIA Director of Health Policy Research, Dr. Samir Sinha, there are 4 key safety measures to gauge how safe a facility is for your loved ones at this time. Ask the questions, do they:

· Restrict Non-Essential Visits
· Enable Staff to Work at 1 Home
· Mask ALL Staff
· Test and Isolate NOT Just the Symptomatic

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Six-week wait for wage subsidy may be too long for some businesses and their employees caught in coronavirus crisis

By Barbara Shecter

NIA co-Chair, Mitch Frazer, on Government response to COVID-19 economic turmoil. “This is an unprecedented economic event,” Frazer said. “Noting that 44 per cent of Canadians reported two weeks ago that they had at least one family member out of work.”

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Limit the number of nursing and retirement homes staff can work in, RNAO urges

By Shawn Jeffords

NIA Director of Health Policy Research, “Dr. Samir Sinha, said staff who work across multiple homes become “vectors of transmission” into different homes. Systemic vulnerabilities have always made the long-term care sector vulnerable, but particularly vulnerable during a pandemic.”

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Coronavirus: Supporting seniors hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic

By Caryn Liberman

NIA Director of Health Policy Research, Dr. Samir Sinha spoke to Global News and said, “What we’re seeing with the older population, in your 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, your death rate goes from three to eight to 15 to 24 per cent and in fact people in nursing homes if they get it, they’re reporting death rates of 33 per cent.

He said older adults are more vulnerable to serious complications from the virus because of their weakened immune systems.

“Are they scared? Absolutely. Are they more isolated from everybody else in society right now? Absolutely because we’re telling them to do that and we’re not allowing them the interactions with the grandkids.”

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Debt, banks, and the price of gasoline – we answer your questions about the economics of COVID-19

Pension expert Keith Ambachtsheer told The Cost of Living executive producer Tracy Johnson that while markets are volatile right now, that will eventually end. "It isn't going to be next month, but hopefully it is next year … if that actually happens, the prices will come back. That 20 per cent that's lost, it'll come back," said Ambachtsheer. According to Ambachtsheer, money flooding into the economy from the Bank of Canada and the U.S. Federal Reserve will need somewhere to go. That could mean it goes into the stock market, which could buoy pension investments. "A good stock, with a dividend yield … that looks pretty good to me longer term," said Ambachtsheer, who is predicting the current volatility will be about a one year phenomenon.

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Ontario Today with Rita Celli - What is happening in Ontario’s long-term care homes?

Dr. Samir Sinha joined Rita Celli on Ontario today and offered advice to families and workers about COVID-19 in long-term care. The discussion included removing loved ones from care, increasing testing, safety on the job, staffing challenges, and how to stay positive.

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Do these 4 things for your parents during the Coronavirus outbreak

By Courtney Jepersen

Americans everywhere are concerned about the coronavirus and COVID-19, the respiratory disease it causes. But COVID-19 has demonstrated that it’s particularly serious for older adults whose immune systems naturally weaken as they age ” and especially for those with chronic medical conditions, according to Dr. Samir Sinha.

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‘We’ve already lost a number of battles’: Geriatrician on COVID-19

Host: Rosemary Barton

“This is not a drill. I wept last night. I’m working double hours. We know what’s coming. This is all Math. We know that not everybody has been doing the physical distancing that the Prime Minister and our health officials have been asking us to do. Some people have been taking this lightly – please don’t. I’m working these long hours, all my colleagues are working these long hours. We know we could die in caring for you. We know that this is not going to be easy. We are here and we are ready. But don’t disappoint us. We all need to do our part. Please take this seriously,” said Samir Sinha. “Look after each other and don’t forget older people out there who are scared, who are isolate, who because of this physical distancing can’t see their loved ones. If you have an older person in your neighborhood – look out for them. If you’ve got a senior in your life, reach out- don’t touch them – but reach out and look out for them too.“

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‘Never felt this level of stress’: Geriatric doctor on the virus’ spread, treating COVID-19

By Alexandra Mae Jones

A Toronto hospital doctor who specializes in treating the elderly says that the rising death toll in an Ontario long-term care facility exposes how COVID-19 can “spread like wildfire,” in these facilities. Pinecrest Nursing Home, a facility in Bobcaygeon, Ont., has become a hotbed of COVID-19, with the death toll climbing to 23 as of Sunday evening.

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24 deaths tied to Ontario nursing home

Dr. Sinha joins CTV News to talk about the devastating consequences of COVID-19 in long-term care homes and how the pandemic has been affecting him and other health-care workers.

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Fresh Air with Nana aba Duncan

NIA Director of Health Policy Research, Dr. Samir Sinha joins the show to talk about COVID-19 related deaths in long-term care.

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Canada’s nursing homes worry coronavirus outbreak will mean residents ‘dying alone’

By Olivia Bowden

Widespread testing required to prevent outbreaks: “Long-term care homes are like tinderboxes for COVID-19 outbreaks, as they are similar to cruise ships in terms of residents being older and in close quarters,” said Dr. Samir Sinha. “There are over 400,000 Canadians who are living in seniors’ residences or nursing homes according to the last census.”

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How to help seniors get through the COVID-19 pandemic

By Nicole Ireland

“Finding ‘creative’ ways to stay in touch is critical to helping seniors get through this period, Sinha said. Telephone calls are great, but he also recommends maintaining a face-to-face connection with seniors through Skype, FaceTime or other video chat platforms, if possible. Some family members are going low-tech and standing outside their elderly loved one's window, holding up supportive signs and waving. It's also important to remember than many seniors don't have family members checking in on them — so small gestures by neighbours go a long way.”

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Families face tough call over removing loved ones from long-term care

By Kelly Grant & Wendy Stueck

Removing a loved one from long-term care is not easy, said Samir Sinha. Some families may have the capacity to care for elderly parents and grandparents while they work from home during the pandemic, but not when they return to the office. Others may not have a choice because the medical needs of their relatives can’t be managed at home.

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Long –term care homes hit hard

Dr. Samir Sinha joins CTV News Channel and answers the question. “How do we get ahead of COVID-19 in LTC? “

1. Make sure every healthcare worker is wearing a mask.

2. Test everyone because we know up to 50 per cent of people might be asymptomatic.

By doing this – we will save lives and limit the spread.

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If you can get your relatives out of seniors’ homes, try to do so as fast as you can

By Andre Picard

“If my mom was in long-term care, I would pull her out. Now.”

Dr. Samir Sinha, Canada’s foremost geriatrics expert, is blunt. The rapid spread of coronavirus in seniors’ residences is “very, very bad news” and, unless the response changes dramatically, families should seriously consider bringing their loved ones to relative safety.

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Why nursing homes are so vulnerable to COVID-19 catastrophe

By Nathan Stall and Samir Sinha

Bobcaygeon’s Pinecrest Nursing Home has suffered a catastrophic outbreak of coronavirus that has killed 14 residents and one visiting spouse, with at least 24 staff members infected. It’s a tragedy workers at the home have likened to a “war zone.” Sadly, it’s not likely over yet, nor is this a unique case. The first major Canadian outbreak occurred in the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, and since then it has emerged in more than 600 care homes in Canada, and in more than 400 in the United States.

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Why Canada is taking so long to start testing blood for COVID-19

By Kelly Crowe

Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Toronto's Sinai Health Systems, told CBC Toronto's Mike Crawley that everyone in an affected long-term care facility should be tested. "That's important so that we don't miss cases that could allow us to further spread this virus around and potentially kill more people," he said.

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Man fears for father’s health after COVID-19 diagnosis at London, Ont. Nursing home

By Sofia Rodriguez

“While the province has moved to ensure that anyone symptomatic at seniors' facilities will get tested, everyone at a long-term care homes should be tested when there's an outbreak. That's important so that we don't miss cases that could allow us to further spread this virus around and potentially kill more people," said Samir Sinha.

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‘It is a very dire situation’: Atleast 600 nursing, retirement homes in Canada have coronavirus cases

By Kelly Grant, Les Perreaux, and Jill Mahoney

One of the reasons COVID-19 outbreaks have been difficult to control in nursing homes is the way it sometimes presents itself in the old and sick.

The elderly tend to have weakened immune systems, meaning they don’t always spike a high fever when their bodies struggle to fight off an infection, said Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Sinai Health System and University Health Network in Toronto.

If they feel ill, he added, they aren’t necessarily capable of communicating it. He said 70 per cent of people in nursing homes have dementia. "The chances are they might not be able to recognize the symptoms they are having and be able to clearly articulate what they’re actually feeling,” Dr. Sinha said.

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40 dead from COVID-19 in Ontario nursing and retirement homes

By Mike Crawley

At least 40 deaths of residents in Ontario nursing and retirement homes have been linked to COVID-19, almost triple the number that provincial officials reported on Wednesday. The death toll jumped by 11 over the course of Wednesday, including six new deaths at one Toronto long-term care home and two others at a nursing home in Bobcaygeon.

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