Staffing in Long Term Care

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As our population ages, long-term care (LTC) homes across Canada are feeling the pressure. Older adults are living longer – and with more complex health needs – which means they often require more hands-on, personalized care. But here’s the challenge: the very people we rely on to provide that care are in short supply. A recent report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information focused on the staffing problem.

A Growing Need, a Shrinking Workforce

Across Canada, over 198,000 LTC beds in more than 2,000 homes serve older adults, many of whom are aged 85 and older. That number is expected to nearly double in the next decade. But we’re already seeing the cracks.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing shortages in long-term care have worsened. In fact, by 2021, more than half of LTC homes reported staff shortages that directly affected the quality of care. From 2021 to 2023, the number of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) working in LTC dropped noticeably – even as the care needs of residents rose by 4.5%. Simply put: fewer staff are being asked to do more, for residents who need more help than ever before.

When There Aren’t Enough Hands

The relationship between staffing levels and quality of care couldn’t be more clear. When homes have enough skilled people – RNs, LPNs, and personal support workers (PSWs) – residents experience fewer falls, fewer pressure injuries, and fewer hospital visits. They also benefit from more consistent, person-centered care.

But when staffing is short, the picture changes. Care teams are stretched thin, morale drops, and burnout sets in. Important tasks may be rushed – or missed entirely. And residents feel it. The little things that preserve dignity, comfort and trust can fall by the wayside when staff are simply trying to keep up.

It’s also about continuity. High staff turnover and dependence on temporary or agency workers can disrupt routines and relationships. For residents living with dementia or complex health conditions, familiar faces and consistent care can make all the difference.

Band-Aids and Burnout

To keep things going, many homes rely on overtime, agency staff and internationally trained healthcare workers. These stopgap measures may help in the short term – but they’re not sustainable. Overtime can lead to exhaustion, and using temporary staff can drive up costs and weaken team cohesion. Worse still, burnout leads to even more workers leaving the field.

Building a Better Future, Together

We know what works. If we want long-term care that’s compassionate, safe, and responsive, we must invest in the people who provide it.

That means:

• Creating better working conditions and fair pay so LTC workers feel valued and supported.
• Offering training, mentorship, and flexibility to prevent burnout and encourage career growth.
• Using good data and planning ahead to ensure staffing keeps pace with resident needs.
• Designing care around people—not just tasks—to support health, dignity, and connection.

Not Everyone Wants LTC

The vast majority of people don’t want to go into long-term care. This number has increased since the pandemic. Most of us want to stay in the home of our choosing for as long as we can. This is feasible if that home is safe and we can live there safely and with dignity. We need more care aids with better training programs. We need the government to step up with renovation solutions that are affordable to make all homes more accessible in order to make them safer so this is definitely a multi-faceted issue. Still, the majority of us may well need to move to long-term care for the last year or two of our lives so in a very real way, the staff shortage impacts everyone.

Staffing isn’t just a numbers game. It’s about the people who show up every day to care, comfort, and support some of our most vulnerable citizens in the place they call home.

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