Relatives of long-term care patients are offering their thoughts on the pandemic response of care facilities.

A survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute gathered the opinions of 800 family members with loved ones in long-term care.

Since the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19 has torn through many care facilities, resulting in more than 15,000 resident deaths, which is around two-thirds of all virus fatalities in Canada.

Despite this, new data from the Insitute suggests that 39% of relatives believed their loved one’s facility handled the pandemic “as well as could be expected”, and 42% said the facility did “well enough overall”, while only one-in-five said the facility failed in its duties.

The study found that criticism for homes that are government-run or operated by a large private company was more common than smaller facilities.

The survey also found that for one-in-three respondents, at-home care would be impossible, and an additional 45 percent said it would only be possible with considerable help.

One-third of loved ones became more involved in providing care themselves after the pandemic began, and say that staffing levels are of significant concern.