Long-term Care Home Staff and Volunteers

Thank you for answering these survey questions. The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete.

We want to know about your experience since the beginning of the pandemic, March 2020 until now. If you worked at more than one long-term care home between March and now, please choose one home and answer the survey questions for that home. The information you provide will help with our investigation.

Patient Ombudsman is interested in hearing about your experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic even if there was no outbreak in the home where you worked.

Please answer the questions based on the best of your knowledge or recollection.

All personal and other information collected for this survey will be handled confidentially and only for the purpose of Patient Ombudsman’s investigation.

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* 1. What was your job/title at the long-term care home where you worked between March and now? Please check the box that fits your role the best.

Medical staff (medical director, physician, specialist)

Nursing staff (registered nurse, registered practical nurse, nurse practitioner)

Personal support worker

Rehabilitation professional or social worker

Respiratory therapist

Management (administrator, director of care, clinical or administrative coordinator or manager)

Special care provider

Support staff (housekeeping, food services)

Recreation coordinator/specialist

Volunteer

Member of the Canadian Armed Forces

Public service, partner organization or other person deployed to the long-term care home

Service provider agency staff

Other (please specify)

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* 2. What is the name of the long-term care home where you worked? (Optional)

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* 3. What is the city/town where the long-term care home is located? (Optional)

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* 4. Please check the type of long-term care home:

Municipal (owned by the city)

Not-for-profit

For-profit and part of a chain of homes (for example, Chartwell, Extendicare, Rivera, Sienna)

Independent for-profit (not part of a chain)

I don't know

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* 5. Were there one or more COVID-19 outbreaks in the long-term care home where you worked between March 2020 and now?

Yes

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* 6. If there were one or more COVID-19 outbreaks in the home where you worked, when did they begin? (Please check all that apply))

March 2020

April 2020

May 2020

June 2020

July 2020

August 2020

September 2020

October 2020

November 2020

December 2020

January 2021

February 2021

March 2021

April 2021

There were no outbreaks

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* 7. If there were one or more outbreaks, who became ill?

One or more residents

One or more staff members

Both residents and staff

There were no outbreaks

I don't know

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* 8. Were there resident deaths because of COVID-19?

Yes

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* 9. Were there staff deaths because of COVID-19?

Yes

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* 10. At any time between March 2020 and now, did you work at another health care organization or provide care for someone in their personal residence or home?

Yes

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* 11. What other care setting(s) did you work at when you were also working at the long-term care home in 2020? Please check all care settings you worked at.

I worked at more than one long-term care home

I worked for a community or home care service organization

I worked at one more more private or congregate living settings (e.g., retirement homes) or congregate living programs

I worked at another type of care organization

I only worked for one long-term care home

Other (please specify)

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* 12. In the spring of 2020, were you told that you could only work for one long-term care home?

Yes

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* 13. In the long-term care home where you worked, were you routinely screened about your travel and COVID-19 symptoms between March 2020 and now?

Yes

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* 14. Please check all statements that reflect your experience in March 2020.

I had recently traveled outside of Canada

I had COVID-19 symptoms

I was in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19

I was waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test

None of these statements apply to me

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* 15. If any of the statements above applied to you, were you able to quarantine/stay at home for at least 14 days?

Yes

No, I was not informed that I needed to stay at home

No, my employer instructed me to come to work

No, my period of quarantine was less than 14 days

Does not apply to me

Other (please specify)

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* 16. Between March 2020 and now have you had trouble getting tested for COVID-19?

Yes

I didn't try to get tested

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* 17. Have you had problems getting the results of tests for yourself, your colleagues or residents of the home where you worked? Please check as many as apply to your experience.

Yes, there were problems with access to testing

Yes, there were delays in getting test results

Yes, one or more samples were lost

No, I’m not aware of any problems

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* 18. Since March 2020, did you see any problems/concerns in the care and services to residents that were related to the COVID-19 pandemic? Please check all problem areas that apply.

Basic care and support (help with meals, hydration, help moving about)

Personal care (daily personal care, hygiene, oral care)

Skin care (monitoring skin integrity, positioning)

Nursing care (assessment and treatment of clinical signs and symptoms, administering medication)

Psychosocial care (support during period of distress or loneliness)

Medical care (assessment and diagnosis of clinical signs or symptoms, prescribing medicaations)

Rehabilitation (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology)

Activities and recreation (programs for groups and individual)

Nutritional services (special diets, dietitian services)

Food services (meal quality and choice)

Palliative care

No problems

Other (please specify)

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* 19. Was there a staff person in charge of infection prevention and control at the home where you worked?

Yes

I don't know

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* 20. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, did your long-term care home provide education/training on infection prevention and control?

Yes

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* 21. Did your long-term care home provide supplemental/just-in-time training on infection prevention and control after the pandemic began?

Yes

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* 22. Between March 2020 and now, did you feel you had enough training to safely use personal protective equipment (PPE)?

Yes

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* 23. Between March 2020 and now, did you have access to the personal protective equipment (PPE) you needed to work safely?

Yes

No, not always

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* 24. If you answered ‘No’ to question 23, why did you not have the personal protective equipment (PPE) you needed? Check all options based on your experience.

Shortage, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE)

Management refusal to provide/rationing of the material

Equipment was not appropriate to needs

Equipment was reserved for other uses or units/floors

Does not apply

I don't know

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* 25. Did you have concerns about staff at the home not always following infection prevention and control practices or training?

Yes

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* 26. Did you receive regular updates on the situation in the home where you worked?

Yes, I got the information I needed

I got some information, but not enough to feel safe

No, I rarely or never received the information I needed

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* 27. How were you kept informed about the situation in your home? Please select as many as apply to your experience.

Staff huddles/meetings

E-mails/text messages

Website/intranet

Paper notices posted in a central location

Direct conversations with management or other staff

I didn't receive information

Other (please specify)

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* 28. If you had a concern about a situation in the home between March 2020 and now, did you feel comfortable raising your concern with management?

Yes

I didn't have concerns

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* 29. Was management responsive to your concerns?

Yes

I didn't have concerns

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* 30. Between March 2020 and now, did you report or try to report a situation you considered unacceptable in the long-term care home to someone else?

Yes

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* 31. If you answered ‘Yes’ to question 30, who did you contact or try to contact to report your concerns. Check all those you tried to contact.

The licensee/company that owns and operates the home

My union

The local public health unit

The Ministry of Long-term Care

A partner organization that provided management or other support to the home (hospital, local health integration network)

Patient Ombudsman

The media

Does not apply

Other (please specify)

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* 32. Did your long-term care home offer programs to support your emotional health and well-being or to help you manage stress between March 2020 and now?

Yes

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* 33. Between March 2020 and now, were the residents who tested positive or had COVID-19 symptoms quarantined or isolated at the long-term care home where you worked?

Yes

I don't know

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* 34. Were hot/warm/cold zones put in place in the long-term care home where you worked?

Yes

I don't know

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* 35. If you answered ‘No’ to questions 33 or 34, why were these measures not put in place? Check all that apply.

The home was too small

The physical layout of the home would not allow it

There was a staffing shortage

The staff did not have the needed training

The required supplies/equipment were not available

The contamination rate of the residents was too high

I don't know

Does not apply

Other (please specify)

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* 36. If hot/warm/cold zones were put in place, did staff follow instructions about moving from one place to another?

Yes

No, not always

I don't know

Does not apply

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* 37. Between March and June, were residents who transferred into the long-term care home from hospital or other settings isolated?

Yes

I don't know

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* 38. Between March and September 2020, were essential visitors allowed into the home to visit residents who were very ill or palliative?

Yes

I don't know

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* 39. After September 2020, when the government guidance allowed visits, did your home allow visits?

Yes

I don't know

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* 40. After September 2020, what types of visits were permitted?

Outdoor visits only

Indoor visits

Indoor and outdoor visits

Visits were not permitted

I don't know

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* 41. After September 2020, what types of visitors were allowed? Please check all types of visitors allowed at your home.

Essential visitors, for compassionate visits for very ill or palliative residents

Designated caregivers who assist in providing care and support to residents

General visitors

Visitors were not permitted

I don't know

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* 42. If visits were restricted after September 2020, what were the reasons? Please check all reasons.

Risk of infection

Not enough staff to support visitor education, screening and/or monitoring

Lack of personal protective equipment for caregivers/visitors

Caregivers/visitors had difficulty getting COVID-19 testing

I don't know

Other (please specify)

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* 43. Have you received the COVID-19 vaccine?

First dose only

Fully vaccinated

I haven't had access to the vaccine

I chose not to get the vaccine

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* 44. If you chose to not get the vaccine, why not?

I have a health condition that made it too risky (e.g., serious allergies)

I was concerned that it wouldn’t be safe

Not applicable

Other (please specify)