Reflecting on the Journey to Develop New National Long-Term Care Standards

The increasing complexity of residents’ needs, emphasis on social distancing and limited access to high-quality support presented challenges to patient-centred care during the pandemic. Yet the pandemic created an opportunity to explore novel approaches to achieving person-centred care within long-term care (LTC). We share three projects designed to enhance care delivery in the context of the pandemic: to address personhood needs during outbreaks, to improve the quality of medical care and to deliver personalized palliative and end-of-life care using a prediction algorithm. These projects enabled better care during the pandemic and will continue to advance person-centred care beyond the pandemic. Key Takeaways • Transformative changes and innovative integrative care models that aim to build capacity within long-term care are required to address the ongoing and complex care needs of residents who receive care in this setting. • The pandemic has offered an opportunity to create innovative approaches to how person-centred care can be provided in an under-resourced healthcare setting. The partnership with research teams has accelerated the development of contextand environment-specific tools and resources for LTC. • Solutions designed to support person-centred care must be flexible and adaptable to the environment. Allowing LTC providers to articulate the needs and goals of their own homes has been essential for motivating change.