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In broad terms, a caregiver provides care and support to someone who isn’t able to fully take care of themselves. It can be due to disability, illness, mental health issues, or simply age.

There are different types of caregivers: family, informal, professional or volunteer. Family caregivers will be family members or close friends. Informal caregivers are usually friends, community members or neighbours who can offer some form of assistance or support. Professional caregivers are trained in providing care and are paid for their services. They may work in the home or in settings like hospitals or clinics. Some volunteers can act as caregivers without pay.

The roles of a caregiver to a patient can vary depending on the situation, the needs of the senior, and the expertise of the caregiver. For example, if someone is hired to take charge of the housekeeping, nobody will expect them to also help with medication unless it’s part of their contract. In practice, caregiving can be divided into these categories:

• Personal care: helps with daily living activities like general mobility, eating, dressing, bathing, grooming, etc.

• Medication management: support with taking medication and reminders, as well as coordinating health appointments. Caregivers often must monitor for potential side effects.

• Emotional support: being present, doing games and cognitive activities, listening to the person and encouraging them.

• Communication: support for communication with professionals, healthcare providers and others, making sure the rights and needs of the seniors are respected.

• Transportation: directly transporting the person to an appointment, doing errands, or escorting them if using public transport.

• Domestic chores: support with housekeeping, cleaning, laundry, but also grocery shopping, cooking or meal prepping.

• Legal and financial matters: making sure the bills are paid, general finances are under control, managing legal documents, etc. Can be under procuration if needed but can also be a more informal form of support.

In the end, caregiver is an umbrella term that includes many different types of people in various settings, offering different kinds of support. Of course, the level of responsibility varies from one case to another, as well as the level of stress and support needed.

Taking care of family members at home entails a lot of responsibilities. The main responsibility is to support the loved one with various needs. These needs can mean assistance for daily living activities, emotional support, transportation and housekeeping, as well as help with medication.

However, this doesn’t mean that a caregiver has to do everything themselves. Recognizing their limits and hiring or finding help for certain tasks is also part of the responsibility. This will ensure that the caregiver’s stress remains under control, all while providing the best possible care to the loved one.

Family caregiving roles and impacts can amount to serious stress. While feeling a bit of pressure or feeling busy is quite normal, caregivers and their families should be on the lookout for signs of overwhelming stress. After all, caregivers need care too.

Stress can manifest differently from one family caregiver to another. Signs can be physical, behavioural or emotional. Here are a few examples in each category.

Physical Signs of Stress:

• Getting sick easily: When someone is very stressed, their immune system isn’t able to fight illness as usual.

• Weight and appetite change: stress can lead to overeating or the opposite, under-eating. Noticing abnormal weight gain or weight loss can indicate that caregiver stress isn’t under control.

• Sleeping problems: stress can cause insomnia but also lead people to sleep a lot more than usual. Any important changes in the otherwise natural sleeping patterns are a red flag for stress.

• Exhaustion: Being tired is common, but feeling fatigue and exhaustion, even with adequate rest, is a serious sign of chronic stress.

• Mysterious aches: body aches with no obvious reason can be caused by stress. Headaches are common, but they could appear as backaches, skin conditions, and many other physical signs.

Behavioural Signs of Stress:

• Not taking care of themselves: As a caregiver, it’s normal to sometimes prioritize the person we take care of. However, neglecting their personal hygiene, health, or leisure activities is a sign of stress.

• Increase substance use: watch out for an increase in alcohol or drug intake, as well as other substances or addictive patterns or habits.

• Social withdrawal: caregivers are often busy, but it should never lead to isolation from friends and family.

• Communication changes: everyone has a different communication style, but if there’s a noticeable difference in the way a person usually communicates, it can be a sign of stress.

• Difficulty making decisions or concentrating: making important or unimportant decisions can be more difficult than usual, or the simple fact of focusing on something can become taxing under serious stress.

Emotional Signs of Stress:

• Irritability and resentment: the person might feel more on edge than usual and more prone to outbursts.

• Hopelessness: the caregiver can feel as if they’ll never be good enough or that their work doesn’t matter.

• Denial: The person does not recognize the extent of the loved one's health conditions.

• Anxiety and worry: constantly worrying about the person’s health status or the quality of their care.

• Feeling overwhelmed: a caregiver could feel as if there’s simply too much to do and they no longer have own life.

Apart from the caregiver stress signs, it’s also crucial to recognize any other physical or mental impacts of the role of a caregiver. For example, a person could start to feel physical fatigue if they need to hold a significant weight when helping a loved one with their mobility. Some repetitive movement could also lead to tendinitis or other conditions. Even if these aren’t directly caused by stress, they also need to be addressed to avoid further problems.

Caregivers for seniors have needs themselves. Making sure these needs are fulfilled ensures a better quality of care for the receiver. They surely need to find ways to manage their stress, and receiving support is an essential part of this. Broadly speaking, family caregiver support can come in four different ways.

1. Financial Support

Being an elderly caregiver can have a significant financial impact, especially if the person has to stop working or reduce their hours. This can affect their capacity to save money and plan for their retirement or provide for their family. This can all add a lot of stress. Financial support is available through certain tax credits and other government benefits. However, if you are looking for ways to help a family caregiver close to you, money may be very welcome.

2. Respite Care

Respite care is fundamental in ensuring balance in a caregiver’s life. Respite care can come in different formats: hiring a nurse a few times a week, using long-term respite care in a facility, or simply having a family member come over for an afternoon. The idea is to have someone else come to the home so the caregiver can rest and recharge.

3. Emotional Support

Emotional support for caregivers shouldn’t be underestimated. Taking care of a loved one can be emotionally taxing. It can lead to serious stress and feelings of isolation, anxiety, and even depression. Caregivers need a solid support system. Support can come from friends and family members, willing to listen and support them. Professional help, such as a therapist or psychologist, can also be beneficial. There are also support groups for caregivers.

4. Information and Resources Access

Navigating the needs of a senior, all while understanding the healthcare system, the tax credits and everything else, can be quite overwhelming. This is why access to information and resources is crucial. Some medical conditions require a minimum of knowledge, government programs can change, and accessing the right information is necessary to provide the best possible care. Information can be found online or through specialized organizations.

Supporting family caregivers in providing care can be done in many ways, which can fall into two categories: practical help and emotional support.

Whether you're a caregiver for a family member or supporting a loved one in another way, there are many types of support available depending on your needs.

• Government Benefits

For financial support, there are some government caregiver benefits. First, there’s the Canada Caregiver Credit, provided by the federal government. It is for people taking care of their parents or grandparents, but also any other relative, like an uncle, a niece, a sibling, etc. The family of the partner is also included. The amount a caregiver can receive depends on the relationship to the person, their income, if other credits are claimed, and any other relevant details of the caregiver’s circumstances.

At a provincial level, caregivers can claim the Tax Credit for Caregivers, a tax credit of a maximum of $1,453. Please note that this tax credit is for caregivers who live with a senior of 70 years old or more, who is not their spouse.

On a more legal note, it’s important to know that, as a caregiver, you are legally allowed to take caregiver’s leave. This isn’t paid leave, but your employer doesn’t have the right to penalize you if you take time off to take care of a parent or grandparent, or your partner’s parent or grandparent.

• CLSC

CLSC is an amazing resource for caregivers. There, you can find direct support in the form of respite care, both at home and on-site. You can also access other resources, information, and even training. If the CLSC in your area does not provide such services, they’ll be able to point you to other community organizations.

• Support Groups

Caregiver support groups are a fantastic way to unwind and connect with people who share the same experience. They can share great local resources.

• Private Care Provider

Providers of at-home care for seniors are a gold mine in times of need. Whether it’s for regular respite care, occasional and last-minute needs, or specific care that can’t be found otherwise, they’ll be happy to offer your loved one the best possible care.

Caregiving is a calling for some and a heavy responsibility for others—but in every case, caregivers play a vital role in our communities. Whether caring for a spouse, a parent, or another loved one, their contributions often go unseen and unsupported. Family caregivers deserve recognition, resources, and real support—financial, emotional, and practical. By listening to their needs and offering consistent help, we can ensure that caregivers not only provide excellent care but maintain their own well-being, too.