Excerpt:Nearly 30% of Canadians provide informal, unpaid care, and those between 45 and 64 provide 75% of informal care for older adults. Many feel squeezed by the responsibilities of caring for an aging parent and childrearing, especially women in the workforce, who typically spend more time on caregiving tasks than men. Better supports for family caregivers, who are vulnerable to career and health consequences, can improve the well-being of those giving and receiving care.
Every day, nearly 30% of Canadians provide informal, unpaid care for a family member, friend or neighbour, and nearly half of us will be caregivers at some point,* according to theCanadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).
Canadians between 45 and 64, known as the Sandwich Generation, provide 75% of the informal care for older adults,* reported a BMO study. Many are feeling squeezed by the responsibilities of caring for an aging parent and childrearing,* says the BC Care Providers Association.
Family caregivers are more likely to be women who are employed and married,* says Statistics Canada. Female caregivers expend more energy at home than men and almost the same amount of energy at work, and typically devote a lot more energy to the parent and home maintenance roles,* reported a Carleton University study.
Taking a toll at work
Caregivers who take care of both their children and an aging parent are more likely to miss work, turn down promotions, be less productive, and experience stress or burnout,* says Carleton. Since women in the workforce are more likely than men to assume caregiving roles and spend more time on caregiving tasks, they are more vulnerable to career and financial consequences,* says CMAJ.
Among Canadians caring for a parent, 45% spent between 5 and 30 hours a week, and 55% spent 4 hours or less,* reported Statistics Canada. They accounted for 35% of all hours of informal caregiving, or about 84 million hours per week.* More than 70% of Canadians caring for a spouse spent between 5 and 30 hours a week.*
Health and psychological consequences
People who spend more hours providing care are more susceptible to health problems,* says Statistics Canada. About 30% of Canadians caring for parents and 46% of those caring for a spouse experienced 5 or more symptoms ofpsychological distress.*Over 20% of those caring for an aging parent and 38% of those caring for a spouse reported their overall health suffered.*
Better supports for caregivers
Over the next two decades, the number of older Canadians needing assistance will double, yet thepool of informal caregivers is shrinking.** CMAJ建议，非正式照顾者需要更好的支持选择，照顾者特定的教育和支持，以及灵活的工作场所，以适应照顾的职责。证据表明，这些类型的社会支持可以改善照顾者和接受照顾的老年人的福祉。*
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*The following sources provide references for this blog, in order of appearance:
1. University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. “It’s time Canada cared more about its caregivers: CMAJ editorial.” (2019), online: https://www.deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/news/it’s-time-canada-cared-more-about-its-caregivers-cmaj-editorial
2. BC Care Providers Association. “Sandwich generation and family caregivers.” (2017), online: https://bccare.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sandwich-Generation-Family-Caregivers.pdf
4.CBC新闻。“‘三明治一代’在老年人护理方面发挥着更大的作用。” (2008), online: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sandwich-generation-playing-greater-role-in-elder-care-statscan-1.723663
7. Statistics Canada. “Family caregiving: what are the consequences? (2013), online: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-006-x/2013001/article/11858-eng.pdf?st=D3m5lxir