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Things You Should Know
Giving Care
- nearly 3 million Canadians care at home for a family member or friend with long-term health problems
- the majority of caregivers are aged 45 to 64
- the typical caregiver is a married, middle-aged woman caring for an older parent with several health problems
- one in four caregivers is also taking care of children under 15
- 9% of caregivers are seniors, looking after a spouse, friend or neighbour
- one in five caregivers has experienced a deterioration in their health
- one in four caregivers say their sleep patterns have been altered
as a result of caregiving
- half of all caregivers employed outside the home have experienced
repercussions on the job, such as lateness and absenteeism
- four in 10 caregivers have incurred extra out-of-pocket expenses
due to caregiving
- 15% of caregivers say they wish someone would occasionally give
them a break by taking over their caregiving duties
Receiving Care
- nearly one million Canadians (3% of the population) received
home care services from provincial and territorial programs in
1997-98
- the most common uses for home care are for short-term rehabilitation
and elder care
- nearly half of all home care clients are under 65 — adults
and children with chronic disabilities, patients discharged earlier
from hospitals
- nearly half of all Canadians with dementia are cared for at
home, by family or friends
- more than half of Canadians who say they need help with activities
of daily living report they are not receiving any home care
Spending on Home Care
- home care accounts for only 4% of public spending on health in Canada
- public spending on homecare was $2.1 billion in 1997-98
- ottawa and the provinces spend about $69 per person on home
care each year
- Canadian caregivers spend approximately $5 billion a year for
home care services
- caregivers say they have to cut back on their budgets, use up
their savings or borrow money to meet their financial commitments
to home care
- care recipients pay about $100 million a year for community
services
Source:
Statistics Canada, The Berger Monitor's Special Report on Health
Services in the Home
Barriers to Use of Home Care and Respite
- lack of information and awareness of:
- government and community home care programs and services
- support services for caregivers, including respite
- eligibility for services
- difficulty navigating the health and social services systems
- variety of programs and assessments
- lack of co-ordination of services
- different interpretations of policies, definitions of home
care, entitlements for families, eligibility requirements
- lack of flexibility in publicly funded home care programs
- limits and reductions in the types of services and number of hours
- stringent eligibility requirements for institutional respite
- limited availability of the type of care needed
- short-term post-operative care taking precedence over long-term care for seniors
- home care for the young with disabilities often limited to the home setting
- limited availability of institutional and/or emergency respite
- cost
- co-payment for government and community home care services
- cost of privately-funded home care
- general out-of-pocket expenses related to caregiving
- poor quality of service
- insufficient training of home care workers
- lack of continuity of care
- high turnover of home care workers
- disruption for care recipients, particularly the elderly and those with dementia
- difficulty in developing relationships with care workers
- reluctance to seek and accept help
- embarrassment about needing assistance
- fear of loss of independence and privacy
- conflicts about handing over caregiving tasks
- resistance towards having strangers come into the home to provide care
- caregivers' lack of sense of entitlement to respite
- care recipients' fear that institutional respite is a short-cut to long-term care
- cultural barriers
- language barriers
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