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Portrait of a Caregiver


I wanted to find some statistics about the demographic that is taking on the role of caregivers to a loved one. The first stats that popped up was for the U.S..

It took a bit of searching to find the same information for Canada. It seems that the last known statistics were from 2012. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2013001-eng.htm#a1

There is another source of information that seemed more up to date, The Change Foundation and it looks like they do an annual survey. There are also stories about current caregivers. It is a good source.

  • Over 8 million Canadians provide care to a chronically ill or disabled friend or loved one

  • One in ten caregivers spend 30 or more hours of care a week

  • Most caregivers provide care to parents

  • Age-related needs and cancer most common conditions requiring help from caregivers

  • Most caregivers provide care for a year or more

  • Women more likely to help with personal care and men with house maintenance

  • Caregivers most often between the ages of 45 and 64

  • Over one-quarter of caregivers sandwiched between care-giving and child-rearing

  • The aging of the population, higher life expectancy and the shift in emphasis from institutionalized care to home care may suggest that more chronically ill, disabled and frail people are relying on help from family and friends than in the past.

  • Despite coping well with care-giving responsibilities, caregivers report often feeling worried or anxious

  • The more hours spent on care-giving, the higher the stress

  • Care-giving duties caused more than half to feel tired, worried and anxious

  • The majority (60%) of caregivers were also juggling the demands of paid work.

  • The financial impacts related to caring for a loved one can be significant.

  • Lost days at work may reduce household income, while out-of-pocket expenses, such as purchasing specialized aids or devices, transportation costs, and hiring professional help to assist with care, can be borne from caring for a loved one.

  • In 2012, 7% of caregivers received help from a government program and 5% received federal tax credits, such as the caregiver tax credit, infirm dependent tax credit and medical expense tax credit

One of the reasons I want to provide space to those who are looking after a loved one, whether that is in your home, their home, in a nursing home, have support from a Personal Support Worker. It doesn't matter that stress is still there and sometimes your just need to breathe for a bit. One of my recent posts stated that even just going to the grocery is a like a vacation.

Check the Facebook page for dates and times for this breather for you or someone you know loving looks after a loved one.

Hazel.

hazel@heddeka.ca

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