Where are you on your caregiver journey?
Thinking ahead to senior care
Ideally, there are a number of steps you go through as you and your family think ahead to getting help for your parents.
Focus on a gradualist approach, where you may raise the topic early with mom or dad, then have an ongoing discussion. Try to talk about it in one of the most casual environments you can find. John Wright, writing for Comfort Life, has said, "I'll tell you, it's easier to [talk about things] at the cottage than in the intensive care unit, when your thoughts are otherwise occupied."
Most families operate this way, and start to address the topic long before it becomes an issue.
Family members need to know their roles, beginning by knowing who is the best one to talk to mom or dad. John Wright says, "Make those in your family comfortable talking about their roles and responsibilities in the future."
If the gist of the discussion is a parental admonition that goes something like "You're never putting me in one of those homes," consider that a small start. If this describes your mom or dad, you need to get around to telling them that not all "those homes" are the same; some senior retirement residences today are amazing. There are some homes that unfortunately end up in the news but not many of those end up in the pages of Comfort Life. We're getting ahead of ourselves here, though.
You may be a long way from having the talk, but that doesn't mean you can't begin with some "feelers." John Wright says, "Whatever the beginning point - a birthday, an anniversary or a weekend at the cottage - pick a date and talk to your parents about retirement and care." So you know, so you can see how far you get.
The cost of caregiving: the statistics
An overview of demographics and costs associated with caregiving in Canada
Number of Canadians providing care to disabled relatives (mostly seniors) |
8 million 1 |
Number of hours spent caregiving (for free) per year |
114 million |
Amount of productivity lost due to lost work time |
$1.3 billion2 |
Average travel per month in order to give support |
225 km/mo3 |
Estimated value of this "volunteer labour" annually |
$20-30 billion |
Note that the Canada Revenue Agency offers various forms of assistance, tax breaks and benefits for caregivers.4 Many caregivers feel stressed by the amount of time they are giving to their aging parents, coupled with concerns about costs, many of which they may be taking on themselves. The government of Canada actually makes some very surprising tax credits available to Canadians. Few of these are commonly known, and many of these may be surprising; check out our complete overview of caregiver benefits.
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