Caring for loved ones puts financial strain on British Columbians

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More British Columbians are taking on the unpaid role of caregiver, which is putting them under financial stress that governments need to take seriously, according to a new report.

The privately funded Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence estimates that a quarter of Canadians take on this role for an elderly parent or disabled family member, which can work out to almost the equivalent of an uncompensated full-time job.

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The Family Caregivers Association of B.C. survey released Wednesday estimates one million people fill those roles and that 37 per cent reported “a little or a lot” of hardship from keeping up with the accompanying expenses.

“We get a lot of feedback from caregivers we work with that the financial stress is one of the biggest stressors,” said Christine Savard, spokesperson for the association.

“The financial strain is really hard for a lot of caregivers that are still working, which is very common,” said Savard, communications and marketing lead for FCABC, which works with the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence on advocacy.

For the CCCE’s James Janeiro, “the only thing that surprised me about that number is I thought it might be a bit higher, particularly given the cost of living in Vancouver.

“That really lines up with everything we’ve heard in the last couple of years,” said Janeiro, director of policy and government relations at CCCE.

The CCCE survey, conducted among 3,000 respondents across the country, takes a snapshot of their well-being as their responsibilities increase in Canada’s aging population.

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The survey found that almost half of caregivers reported being tired because of the work, and for almost as many — 44 per cent — their obligations left them worried or anxious.

Nearly two thirds of these people work in addition to caring for someone with an average of 4.5 hours per day in caregiving, “nearly the equivalent of another full-time job,” according to the report.

One in five caregivers are over the age of 65, and 22 per cent of respondents said they spend at least $1,000 per month on out-of-pocket expenses.

Janeiro said the federal government has promised to introduce a national caregiver strategy and the CCCE’s survey was conducted to put  additional pressure to make positive changes.

One change the CCCE is lobbying for, which is in federal Finance Minister Christia Freeland’s mandate letter but not yet implemented, is to turn a non-refundable tax credit available for caregivers to claim on their tax returns into a refundable one, Janeiro said.

As it stands, Janeiro said the Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t have clear guidelines for which expenses qualify for the non-refundable credit, which might be one reason so few British Columbia caregivers apply for it. The survey found just six per cent of British Columbians sought the benefit.

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“There’s so little information out there on how to access it, it results in these seemingly arbitrary decisions,” Janeiro said.

Also, because it is non refundable, Janeiro said it offers no benefit to caregivers who pay little or no taxes to begin with “which is the reality for a lot of Canadians.”

Savard said caregivers looking after family members don’t recognize that they fit that official definition and don’t know about the tax credit or other potential benefits.

The FCABC has a guide that points out the resources caregivers have access to and the FCAB is promoting the idea of “social prescription,” getting health care professionals to refer caregivers to them and guide them as a way of raising awareness.

depenner@postmedia.com

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