March 19, 2025 – As we mark the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) reflects on the profound and lasting effects this crisis has had on nursing home residents and their families. The pandemic exposed deep-seated systemic failures in long-term care, leading to the tragic and preventable loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.
While the immediate crisis has passed, its consequences persist. Too many nursing homes remain understaffed and ill-equipped to provide the quality care that residents deserve. The trauma of prolonged isolation, inadequate infection control, and government policies that prioritized industry interests over resident well-being continue to shape the experiences of those in long-term care today.
Despite these challenges, LTCCC remains unwavering in its mission to advocate for transparency, accountability, and meaningful reforms that ensure residents receive safe, dignified, and person-centered care. We honor those we have lost, acknowledge those who have fought for better care, and renew our commitment to building a future where no nursing home resident suffers due to neglect or systemic failures.
We invite you to explore our resources at www.nursinghome411.org to help improve care and uphold dignity for nursing home residents in your community.
To further amplify the voices of those directly impacted, take a look at LTCCC’s oral history project, ‘I Feel Like I’m in Prison’: An Oral History of COVID-19 in Nursing Homes. This project captures the voices of residents, family members, ombudsmen, legislators, and advocates from across the United States, highlighting their experiences during one of the most devastating times in long-term care history. Visit https://nursinghome411.org/oral-history to listen to selected soundbites, read transcriptions, and access full interviews with all 17 participants.