4 Things You Can Do To Support a Caregiver

With over 8 million caregivers across Canada, chances are you know someone who dedicates their time, energy and resources to caring for a loved one. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the majority of caregivers feel overwhelmed – the average caregiver spends approximately 19 hours a week providing care on top of their work and other responsibilities.

With this in mind, there are things everyone can do to support a caregiver in their life. In this blog, we’ll explore 4 different ways you can help ease the burden and give caregivers some much-needed relief.

1 – Give them a much-needed break

It’s no surprise that caregiving is a strenuous task, especially when 51% of caregivers report feeling overwhelmed by their responsibilities. With one of the biggest commitments in caregiving being time, one the best ways you can support a caregiver in your life is by offering some time to recharge.

Offering respite care, to step in and take over caregiving duties for a few hours or even a day, would give a caregiver time to focus on other tasks that may have been neglected in favour of caregiving, or time to relax. This would ease the burden on the caregiver both physically and mentally, and hopefully help them feel less overwhelmed and stressed.

Another way to give a caregiver a break is to help them with tasks that take time out of their day. This includes things like grocery shopping, meal preparation, or managing household chores like laundry or cleaning. Taking these tasks off a caregiver’s plate can show them that they have a community ready to support them.

2 – Connect them with resources

An issue amongst caregiving in Canada is a severe lack of resources to assist caregivers in their day-to-day caring routines. While the government offers some assistance, it’s often not enough. As a result, one way to support a caregiver is to connect them with resources that can help make their lives easier.

Thankfully, there are some fantastic resources available to help ease the burden. We have a list of different organizations across Canada that can help support your caregiving journey, along with educational content from leaders in the space like Baycrest to aid caregivers. Additionally, our resources section provides great research and coverage of the caregiving landscape in Canada as downloadable resources.

3 – Host an event

One of the biggest issues when it comes to caregiving in Canada is a lack of awareness. Many people aren’t aware of just how laborious and time-consuming caregiving can be, or that caregivers have little support to rely on. That said, many of these same people will at some point in their life either be a caregiver or need care from someone they love.

This means that raising awareness about the issue is one of the best ways you can take action. There are many ways to do this – social media awareness, telling friends and family, or even hosting events for the CareMakers foundation. You can raise money and awareness through just about any event – a bake sale, a company BBQ, a garage sale, and more! To learn more about hosting an event in support of the CareMakers foundation, read our guide on how to create a community event to support the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation.

4 – Donate to the CareMakers foundation

Of course, one of the easiest ways to make a difference in the lives of caregivers across Canada is through supporting them financially. Caregivers pay for many expenses from their own pocket with minimal assistance, and with 1.9 million caregivers between the ages of 15-24, caregiving becomes a financial burden that’s hard to maintain without consequences.

A donation to the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation helps by contributing to organizations across the country that provide various supports to caregivers. Check out our helpful donation guide here so you can see exactly where the money goes and how your donation can help caregivers across the country. If you’re interested in making a donation, please click the link here.

Conclusion

It’s clear that caregivers are facing challenges. Under-supported, underfunded and often unrecognized, we are here to provide a vital line of support for millions of Canadians. With your help, we can alleviate some of the day-to-day issues that make caregiving an overwhelming task and provide much-needed support to caregivers across the country.