Caregiving in Canada: As population ages, one-in-four Canadians over 30 are looking after loved ones

Three years ago, Canada quietly crossed a critical demographic threshold. For the first time, there were officially more seniors – those 65 and over –than children –those 14 and under –in the country. As population trends skew older, a new study from the Angus Reid Institute finds most Canadians are-or expect to be -directly involved in caregiving for their loved ones. Indeed, while one-in-four Canadians older than age 30 (26%) say they are already providing care for someone, another one-in-three (33%) expect to do so in the future.

More Key Findings:

• Caregivers have a number of concerns about the people they help look after: 43 per cent worry this person may be taken advantage of or come to harm, while one-third (34%) say they’re concerned that aside from themselves, the person may not have anyone else to spend time with and may be lonely
• Nearly three-in-ten caregivers (28%) say they are worried they and/or the person they care for will not be able to afford the care they need
• Women and lower-income caregivers are more likely to say their responsibility has had a major impact on their daily life

Read the rest of the story here: www.angusreid.org