HOW HEALTHCARE CAN REACH FAMILY CAREGIVERS WHERE THEY NEED SUPPORT MOST

Family caregivers’ personal health often suffers as a result of their role. This is especially true for those with significant care responsibilities. The data can be shocking. For example, heavy caregiving duties for a spouse result in a 63% higher mortality rate compared to non-caregiving peers. 75% of caregivers report skipping appointments to prioritize getting their care recipient to the doctor. They don’t eat as well, their sleep is impacted, and their stress levels are higher. In a healthcare system under strain, family caregivers fill some gaps, but fall into others.

HOW FAMILY CAREGIVERS SUPPORT THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Without family caregivers, Canadians would need to spend billions more every year on care. We would need 8 million more workers to fill jobs that are challenging and (in our system today) don’t pay well, often resulting in high turnover. If we were unable to find these funds and workers, many Canadians with disabilities or chronic health needs would face worse outcomes. In some cases, those outcomes could be severe. Family caregivers are an essential part of our care economy, but are rarely recognized for their contribution.

WHERE FAMILY CAREGIVESR AND HEALTHCARE SERVICES MEET

Family caregivers most often encounter healthcare workers as part of their care responsibilities. Healthcare workers relate to them as agents who will provide information and help the care recipient follow through with treatment. The caregiver’s health isn’t usually factored into these interactions.

Since they often drop their own doctor’s appointments, the healthcare workers they meet as part of their care duties may be the only ones in a position to spot a caregiver whose own health needs attention.

FORGETTING ABOUT THE CAREGIVER IS A SYMPTOM OF A STRESSED SYSTEM

The shortage of healthcare workers, especially general practitioners, makes it even more difficult for family caregivers to get their healthcare needs met. Many Canadians live in communities where waitlists stretch out for years, leaving drop-in clinics and emergency rooms as the only options available. It’s not hard to understand why family caregivers might ignore their own needs if they’re already struggling to support their care recipient. And with healthcare workers pushed to extreme limits of capacity, it’s easy to understand why they might not flag a caregiver who is neglecting their health.

A family caregiver who has a GP is in a stronger position to get their needs met, especially if that GP also treats their care recipient.

HOW CAN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS

Asking frontline healthcare workers to do more is challenging. They’re already burdened in an under-resourced system where demands are high. However, there are a few simple things they can do to help.

1. Give caregivers a title. Many caregivers don’t identify themselves as such, for various reasons. Knowing that they have a specific, recognized role supports family caregivers in accessing resources, connecting with other caregivers, and learning about how caregiving could impact their own health.
   
   
2. Provide communications about family caregiving. Pamphlets, posters, and digital messages about caregivers’ needs in medical facilities can raise awareness about the issue.
   
   
3. Ask caregivers how they’re doing. Caregivers are used to the focus being on their care recipient. Simply asking them how they are reminds them that their needs also matter.
   
   
4. Participate in Social Prescribing for Caregivers. Family Caregivers of BC have developed an innovative Caregiver RX Program within the BC healthcare system, allowing physicians to prescribe non-medical services for family caregivers.
   
   

Expanding ways to access care are critical in reaching family caregivers. That could include:

1. Expanding public health services that are delivered in the community to include family caregivers – for example, offering caregiver wellness checks in homes where public health is providing home care. Caregiver assessment tools exist, but they assume there is a primary care physician involved. Delivery of these types of assessments by other healthcare providers in more convenient locations means more caregivers can be assessed.
   
   
2. Pharmacists often see caregivers on a more regular basis than other healthcare workers. Expanding services to allow them to conduct wellness screening could allow family caregivers to get some basic assessments and encouragement to follow up on any concerns that are flagged.
   
   
3. Today, funding policies limit access to telehealth. Being able to deliver more care through technology could support many communities for whom mobility, geographic distance, or care responsibilities get in the way of medical treatment. While the pandemic did reveal concerns about equity when it comes to Telehealth, there are ways to overcome barriers to delivery, for example, using phone calls rather than digital calls, which require more advanced technology.
   
   
4. Care Coordinators help families navigate healthcare systems and available resources. Typically, these services focus on the care recipient. However, as they are a common point of contact for caregivers, Care Coordination could also include health checks for them.
   
   

Lastly, education about the potential for negative health outcomes related to family caregiving is needed to raise general awareness about the issue. This extends beyond healthcare workers to the general population. Most Canadians have a family caregiver in their lives. Knowing more about how caregiving can impact family caregivers will motivate all of us to step up and support them.