Who needs home care?
- An estimated 4.3 million people – more than 13% of the population – are age 65 and older.
- Approximately two million Canadians will be age 85 and older by 2051, almost five times the current figure.
- The number of seniors is expected to double by 2026, with seniors accounting for 21% of the population.
- By 2031, the number of Canadians age 65 and older could range from 8.9 million-9.4 million.
- It is projected that by 2030, there will be 40 retirees for every 100 working-age persons – up from 21 in 2003.*
Source(s):
Statistics Canada unless otherwise indicated.
* Summit on Mature Market Workforce, 2006
Who provides home care?
- More than 1.7 million adults age 45 to 64 provide informal care to almost 2.3 million seniors with long-term disabilities or physical limitations.*
- Approximately 18% of women and 19% of men age 45 and older say they provide care to one or more seniors with a long-term health problem.
- Approximately 39% of senior women and 45% of older men receive all of their care from informal sources.
Source(s):
Statistics Canada unless otherwise indicated.
* “Balancing career and care,” Perspectives on Labour and Income, 2006
Who needs help?
- One in 10 men aged 45-64 reports that their sleep patterns have been disrupted because of their caregiving activities; while nearly two in 10 women experience these problems.1
- The majority of female caregivers aged 45-64 are working (63%), most in a full-time capacity (72%).1
- About 44% of caregivers incur extra financial costs associated with caregiving responsibilities, such as decreased salary due to absences; lost promotion opportunities; and reduced retirement benefits.2
- Approximately 20% of women and 13% of men report that reducing hours of work is common as a result of caregiving.1
- Some 21% of women caregivers report that the need to provide care to a family member would be a likely reason for retirement, compared with 13% of women who were not providing care.3
- More than one in 10 seniors receiving care reside with their children, with this proportion being highest for seniors age 85 and older.1
Source(s):
- Statistics Canada
- Economic Security for Caregivers: A Policy Development Process to Better Support Unpaid Caregivers, a report from the Unpaid Caregiving Forum, convened by the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) in partnership with The Canadian Caregiver Coalition (CCC-CCAN), 2003
- “Balancing career and care,” Perspectives on Labour and Income, 2006