Informal caregiving for seniors

Based on data from the 2008/2009 Canadian Community Health Survey-Healthy Aging, this study examines the characteristics of people aged 45 or older who reported caring for a senior. It also describes the nature of the care provided and the positive and negative aspects of caregiving. More than one-third (35%) of Canadians aged 45 or older reported caring for a senior with a short- or long-term health condition or limitation. Compared with non-caregivers, those providing care to a senior were more likely to be women. They tended to be younger and more likely to live in higher-income households and to be postsecondary graduates. More than half the people receiving care were parents or parents-in-law, and they usually did not live with the caregiver. The most common form of care provided was transportation. A third of caregivers had been providing assistance for at least five years. Virtually all (95%) of them reported positive aspects of caregiving, but more than half (56%) experienced challenges and difficulties.