Episode 12: Mental Health & Caregiving
Hello, I'm Jessica Samuels, and welcome to A Way Forward presented by Beam Credit Union. I'd like to acknowledge that this podcast takes place on the ancestral traditional and unceded lands of the Okanagan Silix people. My co host CMHA Klona CEO Mike Golic and I are going to talk about mental health and caregiving. We're going to dig into the details of a recent caregivers mental health survey. And we're also going to talk about things that you should watch out for with your own mental health while you're taking care of others.
Jessica Samuels:Mike, the definition of a caregiver can be quite broad, but let's take a stab at it. What does it mean to be a caregiver?
Mike Gawliuk:So a caregiver is somebody that offers support, care and assistance to those that need it most, whether that's supporting an elderly parent, a person with disabilities, someone experiencing or recovering from an illness or those struggling with mental health issues, caregivers provide emotional and physical support that enhances quality of life.
Jessica Samuels:And what's also interesting and embedded within what you just said that is that there's actually different categories of caregivers. And so there's the professional caregivers, which I think some folks might jump to right away. Right. And those are the folks who paid to do it. That's the simplest way to explain that.
Jessica Samuels:They're certified and they're employed in that endeavor. There's the family caregivers, which was embedded in what you just said there as well. Parents, spouses, children, siblings. And then there's the volunteer caregivers. You know, I think when we were experiencing pandemic, and we talked a lot about the mental health of the professional caregivers.
Jessica Samuels:So that one category I was talking about, rightly so. We had folks who were on the front lines managing this incredible health crisis. And it's important to continue to talk about the work that professional caregivers do and the mental health supports that they need. For the purposes of today, we're going to talk about really the folks that fall into that middle category, which is the family caregivers. And this is interesting because these are folks who are not necessarily trained to be in this role.
Jessica Samuels:They're not paid to be in this role. And this is on top of oftentimes regular life stuff and regular jobs. So we're going to dig into that a little bit. A couple of stats here. You know, I always have a few stats that I have to have to read.
Jessica Samuels:Approximately 5,700,000,000 unpaid hours in Canada are being offered by caregivers. Five point seven billion unpaid hours. That equates to 97,100,000,000 in the value of work, unpaid work. So these are dollars that are unpaid. This is the type of work that the family and volunteer caregivers are giving.
Jessica Samuels:This is significant. Sounds like it's unsustainable. So this is where I hand it over to you. I know that we had a recent survey and discussions about it, but really the mental health of caregivers has to be addressed.
Mike Gawliuk:Well, absolutely. And certainly for organizations that are in this space, and we'll talk about a little bit about them. They've kind of identified the tidal wave that's coming because there's a population of boomers that haven't hit necessarily the age where they're going to need a level of care.
Jessica Samuels:And
Mike Gawliuk:basically, at this point in time, the data say that basically there's 8,000,000 Canadians that care for family and friends. That's one out of every four people. That's going to continue to increase to the point where it's going to be one out of every two. And when we talked about the dollar value in regards to that in preparing for this, one of the things that I identified was that for every $1 that goes out for paid caregiving, dollars 3 are used on with families that's unpaid. And so it's ultimately very significant.
Jessica Samuels:What's interesting to me, as you just demonstrated in that fact as well, is that we're talking about when we go back to that professional caregiving and overburdened system, which we've mentioned several times. But if we're talking about one versus three here, there's an overburdened system of the unpaid folks, but that is not sustainable. And when we talk about the emerging ers, we talk about most caregivers, is or sorry, not most, one in five caregivers are at or over the age of 65. I feel like this is going to spill out into that professional caregiving category and further impact a system that just doesn't seem like it'll be able to bear it.
Mike Gawliuk:I think that's the concern. And, you know, the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence has really focused energy on that. They're an organization that supports and empowers caregivers and care providers, advances the knowledge and capacity of the caregiving field. So that's also for paid givers, paid caregivers, but also advocate for effective and visionary social policy policy. And a year ago released a document which was a bit of a, you know, a bellwether and a canary in the coal mine of this is the situation that we're in.
Mike Gawliuk:And if something significant isn't done, we're in we're in big trouble. Right. And so, as with a number of the issues that we talk about on this podcast, there's a higher level policy and government response that's required. Certainly for those caregivers that are doing it day to day, there's the things that they need to pay attention to in terms of taking care of themselves. And we'll talk about that.
Mike Gawliuk:But also wanted to point out that there actually are some countries that have caregiver strategies that are far more advanced and evolved than our our system. So we have a staff person who is a family navigator who works at Foundry and is from The UK and has had extensive experience supporting caregivers in The UK. Certainly what she identified was that Australia, Germany and UK are leading the way and how they're doing so is that on an economic from an economic standpoint, if people aren't necessarily able to work because they're caregiving, that's a problem. Family caregivers that provide over a certain number of hours per week of care get a caregiver allowance. So they're actually getting some financial support for their work.
Mike Gawliuk:That respite care is available. And respite care is again one of those strategies for the caregivers to take care of themselves in the face of their caregiving role. And there is also, because you mentioned again, people not necessarily having training or education in this. There's education and training grants available for caregivers to learn more and to enhance their skills. And then one of the things and we see it in Kelowna with a project like Foundry or the Family Connection Centre in The UK, most cities have caregiver hubs, and that's really where that people can access support around connection to services.
Mike Gawliuk:There's caregiver groups and activities. They can apply for benefits and the completion of caregiver assessments. So there is good work that's being done elsewhere that certainly could be replicated and ways of, you know, addressing some of the challenges that that happen for caregivers.
Jessica Samuels:Right. Another distinction I'd like to make, and it just made me think of it there when you were talking, is that we oftentimes, you and I on this podcast, have talked about caregivers as it relates to family of young people. So caregivers of young people. And during the research for this, it was really interesting to me how this and what we're going to get into about the mental health of caregivers that next little It's different when you are a caregiverparent, so of a young person. Not saying it's not hard, there's not challenges, and there's there are support systems and networks out there, you just gave examples of earlier.
Jessica Samuels:The difference between being a parent caregiver versus somebody who is aging, who has a chronic illness, or what have you, is that when you're a caregiver as a parent or of a young person, young person, generally speaking, is improving each day. Growing. Maybe improving is not the right word. They're growing. They're getting older.
Jessica Samuels:They're becoming more self sufficient. In terms of, think of a baby to a toddler to a youth to, and so there's that idea that you see change and improvement. And so your role as a caregiver becomes different. And sometimes, you know, is weighted differently. When you're a caregiver of an older person, are individuals who are chronic illness or near end of life, it is different.
Jessica Samuels:It is not the same, because there is not an opportunity for that improvement or self sufficiency. Perhaps you're a long term caregiver of somebody who has an illness, maybe that will come. But maybe that's not going to come for five or six years down the road. And that was a really interesting distinction for me. As somebody who's kind of been in that category of supporting folks in my life who are older adults, and supporting folks in my life who have had episodes and periods of injury, long episodes or continuous episodes of injury or illness.
Jessica Samuels:It's tough out there.
Mike Gawliuk:100%.
Jessica Samuels:And so let's talk about the mental health, all of that a long explanation to say, let's talk about the mental health, the mental health impacts of being a caregiver. Let's start off with it can be rewarding. Certainly, don't want to have this doom and gloom perspective. It can be a very rewarding experience.
Mike Gawliuk:Yeah. Well, and I look at my own personal experience and my caregiving experience with my father, who passed away a couple of years ago, was very short. Like he moved down with me. He lived in my home and I had to undertake some caregiving responsibilities until he passed. And I can just say that experience, as sure as it was, certainly makes me see like the multiple challenges that comes with caregiving.
Mike Gawliuk:But yes, there are positives that come from it. One study actually identified that for some caregivers, caregiving actually extends their lifespan. Other benefits just include increased self esteem, the gratitude and recognition that they receive from care recipients and and how that can strengthen the relationship between the caregiver and the person that they're caring for. So it's not all bad, but it is there is a heavy load and there's a lot of things that impact caregivers on the negative side of the ledger. And and those are some of the things that we want to identify and then talk about how people might be able to address that.
Jessica Samuels:Yeah, well, let's do that as well, because I think, I don't, you know, put too much of my own opinion in this, but I having, you know, when you're in those situations and maybe you can identify the same if you feel like you're full up with your job, life, caregiving, you feel like you don't have time for those pieces, those other pieces, like if you can get to bed at a reasonable time and get up at a reasonable time, remember to have something to eat. That's a win. But you need more than that to manage your mental health.
Mike Gawliuk:Oh, for sure. I remember sitting in this room doing an interview with a prospective staff member when my phone went off and it was the life alert system and saying, Oh, by the way, your dad's fallen. I had excused myself from the interview because there was nobody else that could go. And I had to go up to the house and see if he was Okay and then get him back up and moving. Right.
Mike Gawliuk:And so, yeah, it impacts things considerably. When you talk about the the CCE and some of the work they've done and caregivers and sort of sending the alarms signals, they've identified some stats that are concerning. So they identified that one in four caregivers report fair or poor mental health, that there's increased fatigue, anxiety and sense of overwhelmed because of those care responsibilities. We talked about those that are seniors that are caregivers who may also require care and are the least likely to access supports or services to help with their responsibilities. And one of the tolls that and we sort of touched on it briefly, it takes is that one of the most common impacts for people is around the financial toll that caregiving takes.
Mike Gawliuk:And half of the caregivers that they surveyed had faced financial stress in the past year. Right.
Jessica Samuels:And just by you saying that, I hear come back to what you said earlier. You know, think about those European countries that have financial supports and repayment in that. So really, that would be an incredible thing for us to have here. That financial toll is is a heavy burden. With it comes with its own mental health impacts.
Mike Gawliuk:For sure. And then when you look at diverse communities, there's additional gaps on top of that. So racialized, Indigenous, LGB2Si plus are more likely to experience negative aspects of care. And half of racialized caregivers have faced financial hardship. So again, when we look at the impact overall, significant and and and it's concerning, which is why it's important for organizations like the CCC to exist and advocate strongly for government to to invest and make this a priority.
Mike Gawliuk:But in the meantime, you're a caregiver. You're you're experiencing some of the challenges. What do you do?
Jessica Samuels:Right. First, actually, before, what do you do? I think it's recognizing what, what you're feeling recognizing what's going on, because I, I'm worried that you might get into a cycle of being tired and down and just think it comes with the job comes with the role. And it might be it's a tough role. But don't just accept it and think that it's okay.
Jessica Samuels:So recognizing what you know, those typical things, that we have talked about before when it comes to low mood or depression or not feeling not feeling like yourself, sleeping more not at all, you know, not eating or eating differently, eating more use of substances, alcohol, more or less. Those things where you just know that you're not not the same.
Mike Gawliuk:Yeah, you're not yourself, for sure. I think you make a good point. I think there's a level of awareness around the impact that can that can come with that. I would say when you're caring for someone else and it's that that airplane analogy, right? When the mask drops from the ceiling, put yours on first before you put on the other person's.
Mike Gawliuk:And there's again various strategies that you can utilize to try to take care of yourself before it gets to the point of burnout, before it gets to the point where you have to seek out therapy, medication, those kinds of things. And they're pretty straightforward, but they might be challenging for some based on circumstances. Simply in in some cases, take some time for yourself where you can, because, again, it can be all encompassing. Ask for and accept help for assistance with daily activities.
Jessica Samuels:That second part, that accepting help is such an interesting point, right? Yeah. Like, that's that's kind of like, no, I've got this. This is my burden. This is my mom, aunt, partner, you know, to manage.
Jessica Samuels:It's I don't want to put that burden on somebody else to do it, but it's such a critical piece.
Mike Gawliuk:Well, and that shared responsibility hopefully keeps everybody healthier. Of course, we always talk about get connected, become aware of caregiving resources in your area, and that could include any number of things, including like classes or ride services, meal delivery, housecleaning services, those kinds of things. So familiarize yourself with those in order to see what you can put in place.
Jessica Samuels:Consider
Mike Gawliuk:joining a support group, right? In some cases, you might feel like you're the only person in the world that's having this experience. And when you get together with others that are having similar experiences, it's a good way, first of all, to socialize and relate. And it's a step you can take in, you know, again, care of yourself.
Jessica Samuels:Yeah. One other point I was going to make along those lines was that oftentimes if you're caregiving for an individual that has a specific illness or something like that, there's also specific caregiver groups associated with that
Mike Gawliuk:specific illness.
Jessica Samuels:Yeah. So, you know, Alzheimer's cancer, a lot of folks think about their support groups like that.
Mike Gawliuk:Yep. And we'll mention a couple of resources, a couple of other things, if possible, finding respite care, getting some time away just to really focus on some self care is important. I think when things become overwhelming, when some of those symptoms that start to show up around depression, I think one of the things that you see take place is people sometimes tend to socially isolate. That's that's really. The last thing that you want to be doing,
Jessica Samuels:the opposite of what you should
Mike Gawliuk:be doing, really, ideally staying connected with family and friends again, if if there's one thing we'll get from a way forward is the importance and the power of connection and what a difference that can make for people. And that's absolutely important. And then, of course, there's the basics. Try to take care of your your health, right? And that comes down to trying to get enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising, those kinds of things that help us to to stay well.
Jessica Samuels:Right. Okay, good practices. Let's go back to some of those resources as well. So you mentioned Foundry. While we're in this conversation, you did talk about CC CE, and they have a ton of even links to caregiving or different resources on their website
Mike Gawliuk:as So, I mean, of course, in preparing this, taking a look like like. All the different resources that are available that would appear across the country, whether it's a specific for something specific, like you say, like Alzheimer's or cancers or whatever it is, there's like a huge list of resources. You can go there. It's really a one stop shop to take a look at what you can match up with and find some of the assistance. There's also information and resources that are available to help educate The the other one that that is is available is Family Caregivers BC.
Mike Gawliuk:And I went and took a look last night. They have an online caregiver assessment. And I would say from from doing it, just experiencing it, anyone that gets into a caregiver role doing that assessment would be super helpful because it leads to some of the points that we've already talked about. Right. And certain situations where, you know, things are going to look a certain way now, but they may those may change with time and and it provides information.
Mike Gawliuk:And again, there's resources on there. There's podcasts, there's other information. So that is also a wealth of resource for caregivers. For me, the thing that stood out was the caregiver assessment. In terms of getting a sense of where you're at and where you might be able to go, that's an excellent step to take.
Jessica Samuels:Right. Don't wait till you're burnt out. Don't wait till you can't take it anymore Before you do that assessment, don't self assess before you take the assessment. Why don't you go out and see, you know, early intervention prevention, those preventative measures that we always talk about, they also apply to you as a caregiver, you can, you know, support yourself early so that you don't reach rock bottom
Mike Gawliuk:for sure. And there's there's lots of tips and tricks like we talked about. And then there's also also information and things in there, like when you have to navigate the formal care system,
Jessica Samuels:right,
Mike Gawliuk:which isn't always particularly easy. And so resources that are helpful in terms of helping to educate people on how to do that. And so certainly I would encourage people to to to check those resources out as a great starting point to get connected with supports and information that they need that might help to make their experience of caregiving a little bit less stressful and allow them to take care of themselves as they do it.
Jessica Samuels:Thanks so much, Mike.
Mike Gawliuk:Thank you.
Jessica Samuels:Okay, so we just rattled off quite a few resources there. We are going to add those in the show notes. We are also going to, of course, add them to the A Way Forward presented by Beam Credit Union podcast page. And that is at cmhkolona.org. Really take some time to check them out, even if you just know somebody or you're just wondering where you are at at your caregiver journey.
Jessica Samuels:And of course, as always, in the meantime, please do take good care. Beam Credit Union supports mental health initiatives across British Columbia because caring for each other builds stronger, more connected communities. United has won. Beam's founding credit unions now serve 190,000 members across BC.
