Tragedy or ordeal? How reshaping discourses can contribute to reimagining approaches to care and the value of life in times of crisis.

Attending to the discourses surrounding a crisis can offer important insights into who and what is valued in society. The COVID-19 pandemic offers just this opportunity as it represents a modern societal crisis. Our former work, which examined media discourses surrounding life in LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealed a discourse that framed life in LTC as tragic. In this study, using a life story approach, we explore how, if at all, the tragedy discourse shifts when older persons in LTC (n = 15) are invited to share their experiences of COVID-19. Our analysis revealed three interrelated categories that together highlight the myriad of factors impacting the value of life in LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic and which act as counter-narratives to the dominant discourse. These counter-narratives are captured in the categories: COVID-19 as a component of a larger life story; Resisting isolation despite restrictions; and Contrasting experiences of life in LTC before, during, and after COVID-19, and highlight how residents strove to retain a sense of belonging, care and connection during this time of crisis. Introducing counter-narratives of residents who lived through COVID-19 in LTC provides an impetus for reconstructing this period of global unrest from that of a tragedy to that of an ordeal. It also reminds us of the valiant efforts people continue to make to ensure the value of their lives are seen and recognized even when dominant discourses are supporting their erasure.