Caring in Canada - Survey insights from caregivers and care providers across Canada

A perfect storm is brewing: demand for care is growing, caregivers are aging, the number of available caregivers is shrinking, and care needs are becoming more complex due to our aging population and rising rates of disability and mental health conditions. [...] 6 Introduction 7 Introduction Half of Canadians will be a caregiver at some point in their lives.1 In 2022 alone, 6.4 million Canadians provided unpaid care to dependent adults.2 Caregivers and care providers promote the independence and improve the quality of life of the people in their lives. [...] The ability to care and be cared for is part of the bedrock of a healthy community and society. [...] The relationship between experiences of financial stress and the availability, amount, and refundability of tax credits for caregivers is worth further investigation, but the evidence in Quebec suggests that more generous financial support would help address the financial concerns of caregivers across Canada. [...] Caregivers in the open link survey generally used more paid care services than panel survey participants: 30% said the person they care for has used home care in the past year and 24% of caregivers have used respite services 67% of caregivers have tried to hire care providers and 77% of caregivers are satisfied with the supports and services their main care recipient has received.