New data, new insights
Suggesting that the findings published after of its 2024 national three-thousand-person survey of unpaid caregivers and care providers show that Canada is facing a caregiving crisis, the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence is calling for an urgent conversation and strategic action to strengthen our country’s caregiving landscape.
Launched in May of 2024, The Caring in Canada report from CCCE, entitled. Caring in Canada provides an in-depth analysis of the survey results collected in the National Caregiving Survey completed by more than 3,000 caregivers and care providers from coast to coast across Canada. Conducted by Leger Communications it offers new insights into the experiences of caregivers and care providers in our county and shows that caregivers and care providers struggle differently between provinces, age groups, and backgrounds.
The final report also makes policy recommendations to improve the lives of caregivers and highlights the importance of providing better mental health and financial support As part of the CCCE’s commitment to serving equity seeking groups, the report oversampled Indigenous caregivers and offers insights from racialized, LGBTQ2S+, young caregivers and siblings.
While caregivers have a range of duties providing both emotional and practical support, most say that they help considerably more offering emotional support, handling meal preparation and housekeeping, as well as home maintenance.
Thirty-three percent said they must help with financial management and co-ordinating care as well.
Among other things the survey results also highlight the toll on caregiver’s wellbeing, time spend caring each day and the length of time most caregivers have been providing care. With nearly two thirds of caregivers claiming to work and care at the same time, the results make clear the potential productivity challenges and health risks related to their additional care responsibilities in any given week.
No single solution: Day in- day out caregiving varies across circumstances, identities and impacts. This, the summary report suggests, leaves room for wider policy and program discussions that recognize the need for a variety of effective solutions to address a multitude of needs. However, all parties agreed that better financial and mental health supports are required.
Examples of diverse caregiving voices and needs cited include:
• 75% of Indigenous caregivers are requesting supports that are delivered in a culturally sensitive manner
• LGBTQ2S+caregivers are significantly more likely to be caring for someone with a mental health condition as well as other needs. And, they report fair or poor mental health themselves.
• Young caregivers (ages 18-24) who are usually caring for family members with few supports.
Poor mental health: The more time a caregiver spends looking after their care recipients needs the more tired, overwhelmed and depressed they say they become. Infact, one in four report poor mental health.
Financial hardship: Rates of financial hardship were alarmingly high with approx. of all caregivers claiming challenges, some more than others of course. Also 22% of caregivers saying they spend at least $1,000 a month out of pocket to cover their care recipient’s expenses.
Of note, despite their challenges, more than half of those surveyed were not aware of the tax credits related to the provision of care. Almost 90% felt that tax credits or a monthly allowance would be helpful.
Experts interpreting data say that caregivers voiced that financial supports “are the most important policy solution—across all support domains—for meeting their needs. Acton is needed on implementing direct compensation for caregivers and improved awareness and broader eligibility for tax credits and benefits.
Paid care: Reported as not working well for providers, caregivers or care recipients, the system for delivering care is referred to as “broken”. Case in point… there is significant turn over in staffing with care providers leaving the profession which leads to a variety of challenges such as staffing shortages, increased risk for patients, higher training costs and lack of continuity for patients.
Data shows care providers are concerned with:
• Fair pay: About half of the paid caregivers felt they were not being paid fairly.
• Shifts: Inadequate staffing on their shift was reported by almost half of respondents.
• Discrimination: Twenty-five percent felt unsafe at work and had experienced discrimination.
• Looking to leave: Four in five had considered changing careers.
Almost a third of providers surveyed had been on the job for less than a year. And as a whole, professional providers who were asked wanted: Better and safer working conditions, unionization, additional training, higher pay, more flexible scheduling, reasonable working hours and paid sick leave.
To read the full report visit: https://canadiancaregiving.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CCCE_Caring-in-Canada.pdf
Kylie MacKenzie is on the Caregiver Solutions editorial team and is a regular contributor.
Photo: CanStock
