By Peter Kenter
While no strategy can protect every Canadian from COVID-19, the “Team B.C.” strategy employed by the province’s seniors’ care providers and public health authorities has provided a model for other jurisdictions to optimize the care of older adults during the pandemic.
Aly Devji, president of BC Care Providers Association, which represents B.C.’s non-government seniors’ care providers, notes that the diversity of seniors’ care facilities provides a complex environment for pandemic management. Many seniors are independent and leave their residences regularly. Some contracted COVID-19 in the community before the province recognized the pandemic. Residents also receive care from outside workers. There are no doors to lock to provide 100 per cent protection.
“The coronavirus doesn’t debate about whether it enters a private or a public care seniors facility,” he says. “In B.C., we recognized early on that we needed to quickly develop and apply protocols across the entire sector to protect our residents. That involves working hand in hand with the BC Ministry of Health and with public health officials.”
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