What You Should Know About Being a Caregiver

(Image Credit: Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash)

While caregivers devote their time to help their loved ones, partners, friends and neighbours, there are a few things you might not have known about being a caregiver in Canada. 

Many Canadians take on these roles as caregivers however organizations often fail to openly communicate what they can do to aid employees in navigating their caregiving responsibilities and balance work as well. 

According to Statistics Canada, in 2018, 7.8 million Canadians ages 15 and older (25% of the population) were caregivers and almost 1.5 million of these caregivers were ages 65 and older. 

Having caregiver employees is so common in the workplace, but many employees find they need to seek out resources on their own to feel understood and for help.

Here are some tips that you should know about being a caregiver in Canada. 

1. The Difference Between Being a Formal and Informal Caregiver 

There are quite a few differences between a formal and informal caregiver. Many think that these terms are synonymous but that is not the case. Most of the time “caregiver” refers to informal caregiving which is defined by the Family Caregiver Alliance as an unpaid individual (for example, a spouse, partner, family member, friend or neighbour) involved in providing assistance to others with activities of daily living, and/or medical tasks. Formal caregiving is defined as paid care providers who provide care in one’s home or in a care setting like a long-term care facility or residential facility.

Knowing the key differences between the two terms can help you identify which resources you might need to consult for guidance or support. For example, being able to talk about your role as an informal caregiver in the workplace will raise more awareness in your organization and start the conversation on how to create that balance between the two. 

For more on how to create more awareness, check out our previous blog “Are You Supporting Your Caregiver Employees?” here.

2. The Mental Impact of Caregiving on Caregivers

What many do not know is the role of a caregiver can be very stressful. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Statistics Canada states that more than one in four Canadians put in regular hours providing care for family members and friends with chronic illnesses or disabilities which comes with a high emotional cost. Unpaid caregivers play a crucial role by providing care but unfortunately 1 in 3 unpaid caregivers in Canada are distressed which can lead to feelings of anger, depression or an inability to continue with their caring activities.

Mental health is important, so while taking care of your loved ones, it is important to understand and take care of your mental health too. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) says there are some ways to improve the mental health of caregivers in Canada, which include offering home care services and even community support. With these additions, caregivers could be better equipped to provide the proper care for those who wish to stay at home and be less likely to be distressed. By addressing the mental health of caregiver employees and caregivers around you, it opens doors on how organizations, or their Human Resources team, might be able to help.

The Ontario Caregiver Organization offers a great “Caregiver Wellness Quiz” to stay in touch with your mental health. You can check it out here. 

3. What Benefits and Accommodations are Available

Sometimes there can be benefits available to help in your caregiving tasks. If you find you need to take a leave of absence from work in Canada for your caregiving responsibilities, The Government of Canada does provide some benefits for caregiver employees. The Government of Canada states:

“Through employment insurance, you could receive financial assistance of up to 55% of your earnings, to a maximum of $595 a week. The benefits will help you take time away from work to provide care or support to a critically ill or injured person or someone needing end-of-life care.” - Government of Canada

Depending on where you live in Canada, there are also leaves of absences that are available to you that are governed by the employment standards legislation - your HR team should be able to help you understand what is available. Most of the leaves mandate job protection as well, so combined with some government financial support it can offer some comfort to employee caregivers.

Also, while a lot of caregiver employees tend to keep their caregiving responsibilities to themselves in their organizations, having that conversation about being a caregiver with their employers might help the caregiver employee clear up any challenges that they are facing when balancing everything. Employers are starting to create strategies to aid and benefit their caregiving employees and one example is Pfizer. 

According to The Canadian HR Reporter, Pfizer offers a program that includes a geriatric assessment program for employees, backup family child care and mental health programs. Pfizer also provides their caregiving employees with a program that enables e-visits. The e-visit program functions so if the person being cared for is going to the doctor, for example, the IT department will help the employee be virtually present at the appointment if they cannot physically get there. Along with this, they have also created a program called ReACT (Respect a Caregivers’ Time) which has around 40 larger Organizations in the United States. 

If more organizations focus on how they can help their caregiver employees and accommodate them, this creates more support for the employee as well as provides room for the employee to grow. Offering flexibility is an important way to support them.

Being a caregiver is a huge and often extremely challenging task and it is crucial to understand just how much time and effort that caregiver employees put into taking care of their loved ones. Finding out more about what it means to be a caregiver and what resources and organizations can assist you can provide you with valuable knowledge and the proper support in the years to come.