Pandemic protections

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us a great deal about gaps and challenges in the continuing care system. CHAA and our not-for-profit operators played a leadership role from the onset of the pandemic: advocating for system-wide protections, sharing early learnings, and finding new ways to support residents and families through some difficult years.

Leadership on pandemic protocols

CHAA operators served as advisors and influencers to public health officials on the optimal infection prevention and control measures throughout the pandemic.

Decades of experience to draw from

While some care homes in Alberta have been in operation for 3-15 years, CHAA’s care homes have between 30 and 165 years of experience. That wealth of experience — through two previous pandemics — helped us mobilize and adapt throughout COVID-19.

Workforce health and stability

As our continuing care workforce struggled throughout the pandemic under the weight of uncertainty, changing protocols, grief and fatigue, our operators advocated for staffing supports to retain and rejuvenate our valued staff.

COVID lessons learned

Alberta’s Auditor General released a report on how our continuing care system responded during the early months of the pandemic. As expected, not-for-profit care homes fared better than some others.

Family engagement and involvement

CHAA operators have always committed to consulting broadly with families and residents about the COVID protections and measures in care homes.

Continuing care regulations

While legislation confers broad powers or imposes high-level restrictions, regulations are intended to govern the details around who is accountable to carry out specific actions and what those actions should entail. Alberta initiated some consultatio

Who monitors and enforces adherence to regulations?

There are multiple layers of accountability built into regulations to ensure contracted operators know what’s expected.

42 recommendations for system transformation

The FBCC Review drew 42 conclusions and recommendations to transform the sector. Here’s a summary of the findings.Work on the Facility-based Continuing Care (FBCC) Review recommendations is well under way and is expected to continue for years to come