Evaluating the impact of resource navigators in supporting Long Term Care Home personal support workers during the COVID‑19 pandemic
More than 80% of the people who died of COVID‑19 in Canada lived or worked in long term care homes (LTCH) and assisted living facilities. Almost 60% of LTCH staff are personal support workers (PSWs) who provide over 90% of direct resident care. PSWs’ essential, frontline work puts them at increased risk of COVID‑19 infection. Also, PSWs are an unregulated workforce who face many challenges due to systemic inequities and require access to supports and resources during the pandemic. We will use a randomized trial to evaluate the impact of providing PSWs working in LTCH with 1:1 tailored support from a resource navigator + educational resources compared to educational resources only. The primary study outcome is the impact of the intervention on PSW wellness. Secondary outcomes include burnout, knowledge of, access to and use of wellness supports, rates of COVID‑19 infection and vaccinations, hospitalizations and deaths. We will also evaluate the quality of implementation of the study intervention.
