TORONTO, ON, Sept. 18, 2023 – Earlier this year, CSA Group announced that it had begun development of a new National Standard of Canada for mental health and well-being in long-term care and assisted living settings (CSA Z2004). The standard will provide guidance to help ensure residents of long-term care and assisted living settings from coast-to-coast-to-coast receive high quality care that supports their mental health and well-being.

To help ensure that the voices of all Canadians are heard and considered during development of the new standard, CSA Group is pleased to announce that a draft of CSA Z2004 is now available for public review for a period of 60 days. CSA Group will also be hosting a series of consultations with interested parties this fall. Details about the public review of CSA Z2004 and consultations include the following:

• The draft CSA Z2004 will be available for public review and comment until November 17, 2023, and is available in both English and French. A one-time registration on the CSA Group public review site is required.
• Throughout the fall, CSA Group will host four consultation sessions tailored to diverse and inclusive interested parties and topics including residents (younger residents aged 18-64 and older residents aged 65+), families and care partners, workers and management, and Indigenous communities. Interested Canadians are invited to register to attend these sessions or email [email protected] to learn more.

About CSA Z2004

• CSA Z2004 is scheduled to be published in mid-2024. 
• CSA Z2004 will focus specifically on the psychological needs of residents in long-term care and assisted living settings. This new standard will help to enhance, strengthen, and expand existing National Standards of Canada for long-term care including CSA Z8004:2022 which focuses on creating safer physical environments in long-term care homes, and CAN/HSO 21001:2023 focused on providing guidelines for the delivery of reliable and high-quality long term care services. 
• CSA Z2004 will provide guidance for the planning, development, and implementation of services, programs, training, policies, procedures, and practices to help support the mental health and well-being of residents. The standard will also address design and built environment considerations that may promote mental health and well-being. 
• The requirements and guidelines within CSA Z2004 address all residents who are living in long-term care and assisted living settings, regardless of where they fall on the mental health continuum, including those without mental health symptoms or conditions, and those with or at risk of mental health conditions.
• Chaired by Dr. Julia Kirkham, a geriatric psychiatrist, CSA Z2004 is being developed by CSA Group’s Technical Subcommittee on Mental health and well-being in long-term care and assisted living settings. The technical subcommittee is comprised of medical staff, executive leadership of long-term care homes and programs, government and related organizations, academic researchers, mental health outreach professionals and quality improvement specialists. 
• The intended end-users of CSA Z2004 include residents, administrators, workers, families, care partners, and broader care teams involved in long-term care and assisted living settings.

Quotes

“CSA Group’s Technical Subcommittee on Mental health and well-being in long-term care and assisted living settings has been working tirelessly to develop this standard, drawing on their expertise and professional and lived experiences,” says Kay Penn, Director, Health and Safety Standards, CSA Group. “Sharing this draft with the Canadian public is a significant milestone and an incredibly important part of the standard development process. Feedback received during public review and during consultations with diverse interested parties is critical for ensuring that person-centred care, equity, diversity, inclusion, cultural safety, and humility principles are at the forefront of the final standard.” 

“Mental health and well-being are essential to quality of life for those living in long-term care or assisted living,” says Dr. Julia Kirkham, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Assistant Professor, Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Calgary and chair of the technical subcommittee leading the development of CSA Z2004. “CSA Z2004 will provide standards for high quality care that support good mental health for all, including those with mental health conditions and those without. This is long overdue in Canada, and alongside existing standards, will guide necessary improvements in care in long-term care and assisted living.”

For additional information about CSA standards in long-term care, visit: https://www.csagroup.org/standards/areas-of-focus/healthcare-and-well-being/standards-for-home-and-community-care/.

About CSA Group

CSA Group is a global organization dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability. We are a leader in North American standards development and in product testing, inspection, and certification around the world. Our mandate is to hold the future to a higher standard.

Media may contact

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