Caregivers’ Mental Health

Do you provide support, either physical or mental, to someone in your life such as a child with a disability, an elderly parent or anyone who cannot care for themselves? You may be providing things like transportation, hygiene care, financial support, emotional support and more. If you identify with any of these areas, you are considered a caregiver.

Taking care of someone else can be admirable – you may be sharing your time, energy, money, and emotions, to help someone else live a better life. Taking care of our elders, our children, and others is an important part of our community. But caregiving can come at a cost. A five-year report from the Ontario Caregiver Organization found that the mental health of caregivers is declining over the years, with 73% of caregivers having concern that they will not be able to cope with the stress in the future.

The report elaborates on factors that can contributes to caregiver stress, such as:

• The financial stress of caregiving for someone else
• The demand of performing tasks that would ideally be performed by a professional such as a personal support worker or nurse
• Trying to balance holding a caregiver’s own job in addition to the demands of caregiving

How to manage caregiver stress:

• Look into expanding your own circle of support. People like family, friends, neighbours and other professionals can be like a team in supporting you in different ways. Reflect on who you lean on in different ways and consider filling out this worksheet to guide this exercise.
• Continue to practice self-care which includes taking care of your mind, body, and soul. Review the Five to Thrive for ideas and check-out this list of other ideas.
• Explore a variety of resources and supports found on the Ontario Caregiver Organization website.

As always, if you’re struggling with your mental health, consider the following options:

• Reach out to your health provider (e.g. family doctor, nurse practitioner)
• If you are in crisis, contact the Suicide Crisis Helpline at 9-8-8.
• If you need help navigating the health system, you can contact our Health Navigation Service by contacting ACCESS.