Canada’s Aging Population: Looking Ahead to the Impact on Caregiving

The world is getting older. Virtually every country in the world is experiencing growth in the size and proportion of older people in their population. Canada has become a “super-aged” society, meaning more than 21% of the population will be 65 or older before the end of this decade.

In many ways, this is great news. It means people are living longer, healthier lives. The United Nations even declared 2021–2030 the Decade of Healthy Aging to support this shift. However, behind every aging loved one is a family caregiver. As Canada ages, the demand for both the number of caregivers and the amount of time they spend providing care is growing. This blog will explore what caregiving in Canada looks like today and how it will change in a future with an aging population – and fewer people to care for them.

A snapshot of caregiving in Canada today

Right now, more than 8 million Canadians are unpaid family caregivers, supporting a family member or friend through aging, illness, or disability. One in four Canadians will take on a caregiving role at some point in their lifetime. These caregivers are the quiet backbone of our health and social care systems. They save Canadian healthcare systems billions of dollars every year, and our society simply would not be able to function without them.

Nearly half of Canadian caregivers support a parent or parent-in-law. Many do this while also raising children and managing a full-time job, making the added time commitment of caregiving especially challenging.

More care is required from a shrinking pool

As Canada’s population grows older, the need for caregiving continues to rise. However, the number of people available to provide it is shrinking. There will be about 30% fewer close family members, such as spouses and adult children, available to provide unpaid care in the years ahead. Families today are smaller and more spread out. More women are in the paid workforce. People are marrying and having children later in life, and retirement is being pushed back further than ever before.

The result is that caregivers often end up being the sole provider of care, perhaps to more than one person, and are being asked to do more. People over 65 are also more likely to live with one or more chronic health conditions, which often means longer and more complex caregiving journeys. Caregivers who support older adults already spend an average of 19 hours per week providing care on top of everything else in their lives. With most still in the workforce and unable to consider leaving, there is a limit to how much care they can provide.

As a result, the Canadian healthcare system will feel the heaviest burden of all. Currently, unpaid family caregivers save healthcare systems billions of dollars by caring for loved ones themselves. With fewer people being available in the future and more people in need of care, an already strained healthcare system will struggle to meet the needs of an aging population.

The reality for working caregivers

Workers who also provide unpaid care make up roughly 35% of Canada’s total workforce, or one in every three employees. The impact on the workplace is significant.

On average, 2.2 million hours of work are lost across Canada each week because of caregiving, equal to 157,000 employees. For caregivers themselves, the toll can be even greater. Many reduce their work hours, take a leave of absence, turn down promotions, or eventually leave the workforce entirely to care for the people they love. With the rising cost of living and longer life expectancy, this can create long-term problems for family caregivers.

Lack of infrastructure adds strain

Long waitlists for long-term care facilities put a strain on caregivers. Memory care spaces are even more difficult to access. This means high-care scenarios are increasingly reliant on family caregivers, who lack the professional knowledge and training to provide such support.

And on the other end of the spectrum, services that allow seniors to age in their own home are expensive and often hard to access. Most seniors prefer to age in place and plan to do so as long as possible. However, only 12% can afford the cost of a personal support worker (PSW), not to mention the related home renovations needed to making aging-in-place safely possible. This means family caregivers are increasingly asked to step in to manage care scenarios where it really isn’t ideal for the care recipient to be on their own without significant support.

​How can we support caregivers of our aging population?

Supporting both current and future caregivers starts with something simple but powerful: recognition. Many caregivers don’t see themselves as one. Often, they’re simply doing what feels natural for someone they love. That invisibility makes it harder for them to ask for help, and harder for the rest of us to offer it.

Family, friends, and neighbours can make a real difference simply by acknowledging the work caregivers do. A validating conversation, a home-cooked meal, or an offer to sit with a loved one for an afternoon can help ease the load. Awareness is essential to action. Until caregivers are seen and valued by their families, healthcare systems, and communities, sustained support will remain hard to build.

As seniors prioritize staying in their own homes, community support (both ad hoc and system-built) will become more important. And for those with high-care needs, more facilities are needed quickly to allow care to happen safely for everyone.

Looking ahead together

Canada’s aging population is a story of progress. Longer lives mean more time with the people we love and more wisdom passed between generations. That progress also comes with the responsibility of making sure family caregivers are not left to shoulder it alone.

Family caregivers deserve recognition, resources, and meaningful support. As our country continues to age, the caregivers’ role will only become more vital. We all have a part to play by supporting caregivers in our own communities and amplifying the voices of the millions of Canadians doing this essential work.