Working
and being a caregiver to a senior can become complex and difficult to manage
over time. How can you maintain life balance when you need to work, look after
yourself and your family, and take care of an aging loved one with loss of
autonomy?
In
Quebec, over half of caregivers of seniors have another job, and most of them
work over 30 hours per week. For many of these caregivers, finding and
maintaining the balance between work, providing care to a senior and sometimes
their own children as well, can be difficult.
Caregiving is still a relatively unknown field. It is a complex
subject that the workplace does not yet recognize enough to support workers
adequately. Few people are truly prepared to take care of a loved one with loss
of autonomy. Therefore, neither the employee nor the employer know what to do
in this complex situation.
However,
there are solutions;
- Labour standards protect workers by allowing them, under certain conditions and without pay, to take time off work to care for a loved one. There is an information sheet on this on the Educaloi website.
- Employee assistance programs are confidential and generally free. Their mandate is to support employees dealing with difficult situations.
- Work-family balance can offer the employee flexible hours.
- Organizations specializing in employability have developed an expertise and implemented services for caregivers. Emploi Québec has developed a directory on the subject.
- Federal (Canada) and provincial (Quebec) tax credits are available. L’Appui’s website has a comprehensive file on the subject in its Practical Tips section.
- Caregiver benefits are available through employment insurance for caregivers who are employed; these benefits provide financial aid so caregivers can take time off work to provide care or support to a person who is critically ill, injured or at the end of life.
- Community organizations offer many types of support, information and day, evening and weekend respite services from which you and your loved one might benefit.
Find out about the resources available in Laval;
Call Caregiver Support at 1-855-852-7784; a counsellor will listen to you and provide you with information on the services and resources available. Or send an email; info-aidant@lappui.org
Visit l’Appui Laval's website; lappui.org/Regions/Laval to subscribe to the Caregiver Newsletter. The subscription is free!
Get your copy of the Guide to Practical Support (GPS) for Caregivers. You will find a range of useful information including the services offered in Laval. Available in English and French from the offices of l’Appui Laval, ALPA and Lumi-vie at 1850 Le Corbusier Blvd. or on the website; gpsprocheaidant.ca/en/.
This article combines information that appeared in the French version of the April-May 2019 and the February-March 2018 editions of Laval en famille.