Caring for seniors with dementia taking toll on families

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Are you struggling with the demands of looking after an aging loved one with dementia? A new report highlights how many of us are feeling the stress of that added responsibility.

It’s nearly one in two who say they’re feeling distress in their role, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

These people say they’re feeling some form of burnout or have the sense they can’t continue to cope with the demands.

“When you look at those caregivers, almost half of them — 45 per cent of them — are experiencing distress, in the form of depression, or anger, or expressing an inability to cope,” says Tracy Johnson, director of health system analysis and emerging issues with the institute.

That points to a real need to ensure programs are in place to support these caregivers, says Johnson.

“It points to the need for meaningful breaks for these folks,” she explains. “Things like respite care, or day programs, as well as more support with the personal care that these folks living in the community need.”

The organization’s data finds unpaid caregivers of seniors with dementia spend an average of 26 hours per week providing care. In contrast, caregivers of other seniors only spend an average of 17 hours providing care.

This comes in the same week that the BC Care Providers Association re-iterates a provincial finding that 2,800 aides must be hired within the next five years to improve or maintain the level of care for seniors.

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