Research article: From Cruddiness to Catastrophe: COVID-19 and Long-term Care in Ontario

Over 80% of Canadian COVID-19 first wave deaths occurred in long-term care homes. Focussing on Ontario, Ellen Badone traces the antecedents of the COVID-19 crisis in long-term care and documents the experiences of frontline staff and family members of residents during the pandemic. Following Povinelli, Badone argues that the marginalization of both residents and workers in Ontario’s long-term care system over two decades has eroded possibilities for recognition of their personhood. Badone also questions broader societal attitudes toward aging, disability, and death that make possible the abandonment of the frail elderly.