Support for Caregivers
What is a Caregiver?
Caregivers are the family members and friends who provide care for older adults. They feed and bathe them, manage their medications and medical appointments, and make sure they get exercise and social contact. In some cases, they provide nursing-level care. They are unpaid and often not recognized well enough.
Caregiving Ups and Downs
Caregiving can be deeply meaningful and satisfying work. It often creates stronger bonds and brings purpose to life. Also, it can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Statistics show that caregivers have higher levels of injury, illness, and stress compared to the rest of the population. As well, caregiving is financially difficult. Caregivers often miss work, and have to manage the costs of medical care.
When caregivers suffer, everyone suffers. Consider that
- A tired, unwell, or stressed caregiver is less able to provide safe, consistent, appropriate care
- Caregivers in Canada spend 5.7 billion hours caring for people in their lives, valued at $97.1 billion annually (4.2% of the GDP)
Making Caregiving Easier
Keep reading for tips that caregivers can act on today and links to support. Caregivers need care too!
Advice for Caregivers
One in four Canadians is a caregiver currently, and one in two will be at some point, so it makes sense to plan. It might feel scary to initiate these conversations, but the payoff will be great. This guide to talking to parents and other loved ones about caregiving will help you get started.
Caregiving often includes managing your care recipient’s medical journey. Also, knowing your way around the health care system can help you find resources for yourself. Here are some places find help:
- The Family Caregivers of British Columbia offers webinars, coaching, articles, podcasts, and a 24-hour help line (1-877-520-3267).
- HealthLink BC’s 24-hour help line offers help with navigating the system as well as other health care topics. Translation services are available in over 130 languages. Call 811 (or 711 for the deaf and hard of hearing).
- Navigating the Health Care System on this website provides quick tips, a general overview, and links to more key resources.
The resources listed above are not all that’s available. There’s a wide variety of free, subsidized, and private commercial support services, such as:
- Home care: trained health care workers come to your home and help with bathing, medication management, feeding, socializing, and more
- Homemaking/housekeeping: cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping
- Day programs for care recipients
- Overnight programs offering short-term stays for care recipients
- Transportation
- Nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, foot care specialists, hearing specialists, and others who can come to your home
- Caregiver support clinicians for caregivers experiencing stress, exhaustion, and/or health impacts because of their role (currently only available in the Fraser Valley Health Authority)
Talk to your health care provider or regional health authority to get started, and/or use the resources in #2, above. Depending on your income, you might qualify for free or subsidized services.
Don’t be shy, or proud, or hesitant—reach out to family, friends, and community. If anything happens—a fall, a new diagnosis, a financial crisis, a change in living situation—with more people involved, you can more easily adapt. But don’t wait for a crisis. Plan ahead! Both you and your care recipient will be better off if the whole burden does not fall on your shoulders.
If you are a caregiver, you need to take care of yourself, set boundaries, and prioritize your health and well-being. If you get sick, go broke, collapse from exhaustion, or fall into “compassion fatigue” that saps your ability to be kind, you can’t properly provide care.
Just like your caregiver recipient, you are worthy of support to remain healthy.
Staying Healthy While Caregiving is an online course you can take at your own pace. Or if you prefer to read, check out Taking Care of Yourself: Self-Care Strategies for Family and Friend Caregivers, a downloadable online booklet.
Three Signs That a Caregiver Needs Support
- Isolation—not going out, not contacting family and friends
- Changes in eating and sleeping patterns
- Suicidal thoughts
If you’re a caregiver and you see yourself having any of these symptoms, or you know a caregiver in this situation, help is available. Talk to your health care provider and/or call the Family Caregivers of British Columbia 24-hour support line at 1-877-520-3267.
Take this quick self-assessment quiz to measure your health as a caregiver.
Caregiving by the Numbers
For every hour that someone receives care from the formal healthcare system, they are getting three hours of unpaid care at home
The average unpaid workload for a family caregiver in Canada is 20 hours/ week
Approximately 50% of caregivers in Canada need to take tie off their paid job to provide care
One in four Canadians is a caregiver
• One in two Canadians will become a caregiver
Resources
Family Caregivers of British Columbia
- This provincial, not-for-profit organization proudly and compassionately supports over one million people in British Columbia who provide physical and/or emotional care to a family member, friend, or neighbour
- Learn More
- Support includes:
- A 24-hour support line: 1-877-520-3267
- Support groups
- Free one-on-one coaching
- Free courses
- Help navigating the health care system
- Webinars given by experts on topics like caregiver health, family dynamics and caregiving, and communication and assertiveness skills
Care Conversations
- Infographic, good coverage of all the basics
- View infographic
Caregiver Readiness
- One-and-a-half-minute video with tips and tricks to get started in caregiving
- View video
Self-Assessment Quiz: Are You a Healthy Caregiver?
- A quick quiz to help you figure out if and how you need support
- Take quiz
Caring for Seniors Resources
- Lots of good, well-organized resources from the B.C. Government
- View resources
Government of Canada Resources
- View resources
- Scroll down to “Caregiving” for a list of resources
Family Caregivers Association of B.C.
- A wonderful source of information and support
- You can find quick information or spend hours on this site
- View website
Free B.C. Caregiver Support Line
- 1-877-520-3267
Caregiver Support Groups in your Region
- Fraser Health Area (covers Burnaby to Hope to Boston Bar)
- Interior Health Area (covers East Kootenay, Kootenay Boundary, Okanagan, and Thompson Cariboo Shuswap)
- Island Health Area (VIHA covers Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands)
- Northern Health Area (Northern BC)
- Vancouver Coastal Health Area (covers Coastal Communities, the North Shore, Richmond, Sea-to-Sky, the Sunshine Coast, and Vancouver)
Disease-Specific Family Caregiver Support Groups
Greater Victoria Caregiver Support Program
- 1-877-520-3267 from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm Monday to Friday or email cgsupport@familycaregiversbc.ca
- Learn about the program
Caregiver Support Clinician Program
- Available in the Fraser Health region only
- Learn about the program
List of Community Supports from the Family Caregivers Association of B.C.
- A comprehensive list of trustworthy resources for a variety of topics ranging from palliative care to mental health to elder abuse
- View list