What is a Caregiver?
A caregiver is someone who provides unpaid care to another person. Across Canada, one in four people provide unpaid care to a family member or friend. Caregivers save the healthcare system between $24-31 billion annually.
Who are caregivers?
There are many different types of caregivers who may assist with various physical, emotional, or psychological aspects of care.
Daniel lives an hour from his mom but regularly contacts her home care team and is aware of all changes to her health. Daniel is a caregiver.
Joanne lives with her husband and two young children. She visits her mother several times a week to do tasks around the home. Joanne is a caregiver.
Rashon helps his dad care for his younger brother who uses a wheelchair and requires help with daily activities. Rashon is a caregiver.
Aki cares for her mom all hours of the day. She would be unable to remain at home without Aki’s help. Aki is a caregiver.
It can be hard for people to recognize themselves as caregivers. They may feel that the jobs they do are a normal part of being a family member, friend, or neighbour. At YourCare+, we define a caregiver as someone who provides unpaid care or support to another person.
Caregivers hold an essential role in the care team of the person receiving care.
See how caregivers fit into this, along with other critical members, in the figure below.
Caregivers are ...
Our mission
In many ways, caregivers are experts on the person they care for. Yet caregivers are not validated or acknowledged as much as they should be.
YourCare+ wants to change this by providing free resources and support for unpaid caregivers. It is our goal to have caregivers be reliable, trusted, and crucial members of care teams.
