COVID-19: Implementation of virtual P.I.E.C.E.S™ for resident care planning with family to build and sustain team collaboration and resilience for the workforce in LTC

COVID-19 restrictions resulted in profound isolation for older adult residents in long term care (LTC) homes, which exacerbated their physical, social, and mental health care needs (Chu et al., 2020). Illness due to COVID, in combination with LTC workplace challenges, also led to losses of staff and greatly impacted the mental and physical health of the remaining workforce, compounding the detrimental effects on residents (Shechtera et al. 2020). The primary goal of the proposed research is to improve pandemic preparedness, provide a workforce strategy for integrated resident care and safely engage family in care partnerships, to avoid the recurrence of the detrimental effects of the first pandemic wave. A secondary goal is to provide evidence for practices and policy and build research capacity that can be implemented in LTC homes. Facing the likelihood of future COVID-19 outbreaks coinciding with flu season, LTC homes, residents, their families, and staff need a clear strategy in place to better manage resident care. A plan that involves family members, promotes communication, and supports the resilience of Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs), the largest front-line regulated workforce, and staff so they can practice safely and effectively during a pandemic. This project, situated in two partner LTC homes, will investigate a novel virtual intervention of P.I.E.C.E.S.™ (PIECES) for team-based planning of resident care.