Family Care Givers

A family caregiver can be someone who takes care of an aging parent, a child, a handicapped partner, or someone who looks after a family member out of kindness or love. Being a family caregiver is a challenging role. If you are a family caregiver, or if a loved one is looking after you, you must know that there are multiple ways to support to make caregiving easy and rewarding.  Below are our recommended methods of support:

The support and help available for family caregivers will be beneficial for both you and your loved one. Attending to family member’s needs can be challenging, as even primary family caregivers can't do everything on their own. Not getting the support they need, may cause them to feel burnt out, and therefore, compromise the quality of care they provide. You can support a family caregiver by assuring their wellness using the following tips:

1. Schedule a one-on-one talk with your family caregiver.
2. Come up with a list of your caregiving needs that you and your caregiver both agree on.
3. Ask other family members what they can contribute, for instance, financial support or some simple house chores.
4. Make sure both the person who is being taken care of and the person giving care understand which strategies are the most helpful for both sides.

There are ways to get financial aid when taking care of a senior family member. Although it can be tricky and complicated, there are options available that allow a family caregiver to receive payment in exchange for the care they provide. You may consider the following channels that can give financial aid to family caregivers:

• Your own funds
• Provincial Palliative Care Benefits Program
• Compassionate Care Benefits Program
• Disability Tax Credits for Care Recipients
• Family Caregiver Amount (FCA) Tax Credit

Learn more about the financial aids available for family caregivers here.