2023-11-08 00:30:00
Whether for an elderly person, a sick child or a friend seriously injured in an accident, more than a fifth of Quebecers wear the role of caregiver on a daily basis, shouldering the weight that the role entails, and sometimes, without even know it.
“Close assistance does not just have a face […] The caregiver can be anyone and the loved one being helped can be anyone, [car] everyone is susceptible to [le] become,” explained Professor Sophie Éthier, researcher at the School of Social Work and Criminology at Laval University, in an interview with the QMI Agency.
As part of Caregiving Week, she recalled that no one is safe from illness or accident and that more than one in five Quebecers (21.1%) would actually be a loved one. caregiver, according to data compiled in 2022 by the Institute of Statistics of Quebec.
For the provincial government, “any person who provides support to one or more members of their entourage who have a temporary or permanent disability of a physical, psychological, psychosocial or other nature” is considered a caregiver.
No two profiles are the same when it comes to close assistance. From the teenager who takes care of his drug addict parent, to the person who takes care of his or her spouse suffering from cancer, the examples are numerous, illustrated Ms. Éthier, also president of the Board of Directors of Carrefour des famille caregivers of Quebec.
Helping to the point of forgetting yourself
Although someone may have multiple caregivers, it is often one person – referred to as the primary caregiver – who ends up with the majority of tasks.
“There’s more of the burden that’s going to fall on that person. There are so-called secondary caregivers who will also gravitate around, whose support is more punctual,” underlined Guillaume Joseph, general director of L’Appui, an organization helping caregivers.
The latter specified that more than 300,000 caregivers spend more than 20 hours per week supporting a loved one.
When you spend so much time caring for someone, you can start to forget yourself, according to Mr. Joseph, adding that that’s when overwhelm, exhaustion and illness kick in.
“It has long been documented that there are consequences on the physical health of caregivers who have a higher mortality rate than people of the same age who do not have [ces] responsibilities,” argued Sophie Éthier
This is also a reality also observed in hospitals.
“Often, when [l’aidé] arrives at the hospital, it’s because the caregiver is really, really exhausted. […] The person is overwhelmed by events, even if we try to secure home support from the CLSC,” explained Marianne Desrochers, social worker in the oncology unit at Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital.
Many find themselves in a precarious financial situation, often being forced to reduce their number of working hours or leave their job to take care of their loved ones, even if they have additional leave granted by law, according to Ms. Éthier and Ms. .Joseph.
Whether to administer medication, provide care or bring the loved one to appointments, the caregiver often has to be away from the office. Some employers are understanding of this situation and allow workers to resume missed work hours or telework. However, there is still a long way to go to facilitate the reconciliation of care and work, believes the professor.
However, there are tax credit and employment insurance programs to help these people financially.
Be helped in turn
Other tools allow caregivers to be helped in a different way. “There are associations for almost all diseases. The first thing to do is to contact these associations [qui] also help families and caregivers,” said Ms. Éthier.
Many health professionals recommend seeking help from organizations like L’Appui to direct them to the appropriate resources, whether for respite, administrative or even legal services. A telephone helpline, Info-aidant, also exists.
For more help, caregivers can contact the Info-caregiver line by dialing 1(855)852-7784 or refer to the website of theSupport.
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