An overview of care provision for the elderly
Caregiving for aging relatives and other seniors is costly in terms of emotional investment, physical wellbeing, time and – of course – financially. While there are many who may be able to pay for professional caregiving in the home, many people find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to provide care themselves for their aging parents or other relatives.
For example, a study in the province of Ontario, observers estimate that 90% of senior care is provided by family or friends. A 2009 poll by the Investor's Group showed that approximately 70% of adults aged 43 to 63 have at least one elderly parent or parent-in-law living with them. When intense daily care is given by families, there is an emotional cost; as a study by the Victorian Order of Nurses shows, these caregivers need a break.
Caregiving in a variety of forms
Caregiving required by seniors takes a on a wide variety of forms. This may include transportation for daily tasks and/or for health care, providing financial support and providing meals that may require special diets.
Caregiving has a wealth of hidden costs that are not easy to calculate. For example, the 2009 survey found that families spent an average of 42 hours per month directly providing help to elderly parents. That's a full work week.
Caregiving provided by a retirement home may seem costly on the surface but when it is compared to a full accounting of care within the home, the cost may in fact be very reasonable or far less. Find retirement homes that offer round-the-clock professional caregiving.
In Comfort Life magazine and online we have profiled caregiving from a variety of perspectives over the years:
There are also a wide variety of resources available for people searching for help and advice concerning caregiving.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Find out more about caregiving. Sources collected by Michelle Warren
| WEB RESOURCES |
| At Comfort Life, we offer an overview of senior care and a search engine to help you find the very best retirement homes near you.
In addition there are many other resources available. |
www.alzheimer.ca
The Alzheimer Society of Canada has local chapters near you offering direct support for those affected by Alzheimer's Disease and their caregivers. You can visit their site, linked to above or you can phone 1-800-616-8816.
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www.caregiver.on.ca
The Caregiver Network Inc. helps those who are caregiving for the elderly. It was started by Karen Henderson, who spent 14 years looking after her ailing father. The site contains a wealth of information but Henderson's personal diary is the most popular part of the site. |
www.chpca.net
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association supplies information on caregiving assistance across the country.
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www.ocsa.on.ca
The Ontario Community Support Association represents various community and not-for-profit groups providing health and support services.
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www.redcross.ca
The Red Cross's branches across the country offer home support for seniors.
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www.von.ca
The Victorian Order of Nurses offers a variety of services for caregiving sandwich generation adults and their elderly parents.
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