Page - 447 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

CHAPTER E-1 Privatization and COVID-19: A Deadly Combination for Nursing Homes Pat Armstrong,* Hugh Armstrong,** and Ivy Bourgeault*** Abstract In this chapter, we make visible the different forms of privatization of nursing homes to help understand how it has made residents and workers so highly susceptible to the deadliest aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Privatization includes the move to private (often for-profit) delivery of services, managerial practices, and responsibilization of individuals and their families. All these forms are evident in nursing homes, exacerbated by austerity measures. The conditions of work in nursing homes intensified with increasing privatization, decreased staffing, and increased resident acuity before the pandemic, but dete- riorated dramatically when it began to hit home after home. The extent to which this deterioration can be directly linked to privatization is difficult to determine, but there are clear indications that privatization set the stage. Bold responses are needed to correct this course, not just during the current emergency, but going forward, to ensure that the many deaths in this sector have come with important lessons learned. * Distinguished Research Professor in Sociology at Toronto’s York University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. ** Distinguished Research Professor and Professor Emeritus of Social Work, Political Economy, and Sociology at Carleton University. *** Professor in the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the University of Ottawa, and holder of a University Research Chair in Gender, Diversity and the Professions.