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The Baycrest Koschitzky Center is launching a free online resource that it says will help caregivers facing “significant and escalating challenges” such as isolation, burnout and financial hardship.
The Canadian Caregiver Assessment and Resource Tool (C-CART) will give people who provide care to someone with a disability, illness or vulnerability access to resources such as health information services or financial resources, Baycrest said.
“One of the biggest gaps for Canadian caregivers is what we call systems navigation, which is when we have resources in Canada but people don't know what they are or where to find them,” said Adriana Shnall, program director at the centre. .
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Shnall said the online tool is intended to personalize the resources provided to healthcare providers after they complete a questionnaire.
It will also help centralize resources for those who don't have time to search for resources online, she said.
The new tool is welcomed by Lauren Bates, a Toronto woman who says she regularly travels to Alberta to care for her family.
She cared for her mother, who died in 2023 after a life with dementia, and now her 90-year-old father. Finding the right resources was difficult, Bates says.
“You can spend many, many hours finding the support that exists,” she said. “You're on hold, you call multiple offices, you call one place and they say, 'Well, try this other place or just call this place.'”
Bates said her father lost his home at one point and finding the resources to house him was a challenge.
“He's 90 years old and someone told me I had to take him to a homeless shelter because they couldn't figure out where else to put him,” she recalled of her experience reaching a senior support service.
Bates says she has decided to give up her full-time job so she can properly care for her father, a move made possible thanks to the extra support from her partner.
According to the Ontario Caregiver Organization, a lack of financial, emotional and mental health care is a reality for nearly four million caregivers in the province.
“We hear from healthcare providers that they need information, support and resources,” said CEO Amy Coupal. “I think any tool that can help them with all of these things is desperately needed for healthcare providers in Ontario and across the country.”
C-CART will hopefully change the feelings of loneliness that many caregivers in Canada still feel, says Coupal, who has also been a caregiver for most of her life.
Healthcare providers more likely to be affected by burnout, says expert
A lack of resources and support means caregivers across the country are more likely to experience burnout, Coupal says.
“We used to see caregivers reach burnout after five years of caregiving, and now we see more and more caregivers reach burnout after two years,” she says.
Dr. Samir Sinha, a geriatrician at Sinai Health and University Health Network in Toronto, says burnout is caused by the increasing pressures healthcare providers face, such as financial instability and overwork.
“It can be very emotionally draining, and it can also have a major impact on the mental health and well-being of caregivers,” he said.
Sinha says some people are unaware that they have stepped into the role of caregiver, which also leads to difficulties in finding support.
More online tools are urgently needed to provide the building blocks healthcare providers need to continue their work, he said.
