COVID-19 and institutional long-term care: strategies in four Latin American countries

Objective: COVID-19 had a disproportionate impact on older people; within this group, those living in long-term care facilities were particularly affected. In this context, the present study aims to understand the impact of and responses to COVID-19 in institutional long-term care (LTC) in four Latin American countries: Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Methods: Retrospective country-level study (narrative review) using secondary databases. Results: In all countries, older people were disproportionally affected by COVID-19; despite the hypothesis that this impact may have been even greater for people receiving institutional care, no information was available. Our analysis shows that countries adopted specific strategies to address this challenge, including isolation and vaccination in all countries, as well as other actions, such as support for caregivers and in-kind and in-cash benefits. Conclusions: The implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of COVID-19 response initiatives in institutional LTC across Latin America are hindered by a lack of information, including the number, distribution, and features of LTC facilities, residents, and staff.