The first day I have
missed going to the hospital since Colleen had the Aneurysm burst. I had mixed feelings about missing
the day but in the end decided it would be OK to miss one day.
Colleen was going on another shopping trip with her Occupational Therapist to find Christmas decorations. Since the day was nice, Danielle and Adam and the family had convinced me that a day at the beach with the kids would be a good use of my time.
I talked to Colleen in the morning and she agreed that I should go to the beach. I felt bad but decided that I needed some time to relax. Tomorrow we would be seeing the Dr. and hopefully Colleen would be released and we could make arrangements to get home.
Today I want to talk about
Caregivers the unsung hero's of our health care system, here in Australia and
back home in Canada.
In Australia there
are 2.86 million informal carers, according to a recent report for Carers Australia by Deloitte Access
Economics – parents looking after children with disabilities and mental
illness; husbands looking after wives with dementia; wives looking after
husbands with failing hearts; adult children caught in the maw of elder care
with its constant crises. Their ‘free’ services are worth $60.3 billion a
year.
In Canada a report in2012,
showed about 8.1 million individuals, or 28% of Canadians
aged 15 years and older, provided care to a family member or friend
with a long-term health condition, disability or aging needs. New
data from the 2012 General Social Survey showed that women represented
the slight majority of caregivers at 54%.
The survey also found that
caregiving responsibilities most often fell to those
aged 45 to 64, with 44% of caregivers in this age
category. Ailing parents were the most common recipients of care,
with 39% of caregivers looking after the needs of their own parents and
another 9% doing so for their parents-in-law. The least common were
spouses, at 8%, and children, at 5%.
For the first time, the
survey looked at the types of health conditions requiring care. Age-related
needs topped the list, with 28% of caregivers providing care for these
needs. Cancer was next at 11%, followed by cardio-vascular disease
at 9%, and mental illness at 7%.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba
residents report the highest levels of caregiving
The proportion of
caregivers varied across provinces, with Saskatchewan and Manitoba having the
highest rates of caregiving in 2012 at 34% and 33%,
respectively. Also above the national average were Nova Scotia (31%) and Ontario
(29%).
In contrast, Quebec had a
lower rate than the national average. About 25% of Quebecers reported that
they had provided care to an ill, disabled or aging family member or friend
in 2012.
Other provinces were not
significantly different from the national average.
Providing transportation
most common form of care
The most common type of
help, provided by 73% of all caregivers, was transportation to run
errands, shop, or attend medical appointments. The next most frequent types of
activities were house cleaning and meal preparation at 51%, followed by
house maintenance and outdoor work at 45%.
Some other tasks were
provided by a lower proportion of caregivers, but were done more frequently.
These tasks (including medical treatments and personal care, such as help with
bathing and dressing) were provided by less
than 1 in 4 caregivers. However, two-thirds of those who
performed these activities did so at least once
Impacts greatest for
caregivers of children and spouses
The survey also examined
the psychological, financial and employment consequences of caregiving among
those who provided 2 or more hours of care per week. At greatest risk
of negative consequences were caregivers of children and spouses, reflecting
their greater intensity of care.
About half of caregivers
providing care to children (51%) and spouses (46%) reported at least five
symptoms of psychological distress, such as depression, feelings of isolation
and disturbed sleep. This compares with 30% of those caring for their own
parents and 8% caring for a grandparent.
In addition, 34% of
those caring for their child and 33% of those caring for their spouse had
to consult a medical professional as a result of their responsibilities,
compared with 18% of those who took care of their parents. Caregivers of
children or spouses were also more likely to sustain an injury while providing
care.
Nevertheless,
about 9 in 10 caregivers felt that the experience of
providing care was rewarding. Moreover, 7 in 10 also
expressed that their relationship with their care receiver had strengthened
over the course of the previous 12 months.
One in five caregivers
receive financial support
In 2012, 19% of
caregivers received some form of financial support. Help from family and
friends was the most common at 12%, followed by government programs
at 7% and federal tax credit at 5%.
Those caring for their
child and spouse received the most financial support from governments.
In 2012, 30% of caregivers of children received government financial
assistance, compared with 14% of caregivers of spouses and 5% of
caregivers of parents.
Even though they received
the most support from governments, 28% of those who cared for a child
and 20% of those who cared for a spouse experienced financial
difficulties. This compares with 7% among those helping their parents.
In addition, 52% of
caregivers of children, 42% of caregivers of spouses and 28% of
caregivers of parents said that they would have liked more help than they
received, financial or otherwise.
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