Organisational Mistreatment in Long-term Care Facilities: The Government of Quebec’s Response in the Context of the Health Crisis
The numerous cases of COVID-19 infection in Quebec’s long-term care facilities forced the government to react to what the Premier defined as a “national emergency”. This article thus aims to present the political and organisational factors that played a central role in the deterioration of the living conditions and health of residents, especially focusing on how organisational mistreatment occurred between March and June 2020. We completed a thematic analysis of public discourses available on the National Assembly of Quebec website (N = 73). We matched data from the 14 themes with scientific and grey literature and journalistic articles to complete the analysis. A lack of preparation, combined with either a massive lack of personnel or their occupational mobility, contributed to the circulation of the virus. To counteract this “crisis within a crisis”, the provincial government created an accelerated training program for personal care attendants. However, its design has limits: a training period cut in half, as well as a reduction in the number of taught competencies. Particularly concerning is the lack of education on the actions to counter mistreatment to the elderly. With this portrait, it is justified to question if, in its desire to quickly redress the determinants at the heart of organisational neglect, the government ironically risks adding to it in the short to medium term.