Older Canadians may be more likely to require help and care in their daily lives, but a Statistics Canada survey has found that nearly one-quarter of those aged 65 and older are caregivers themselves. And the challenges they face may have been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only are seniors more at risk of severe illness, they are also more affected by isolation measures. Because of that, many senior caregivers who help people living outside of their household may not have been able to provide the same level of care that they usually do.

Even those giving help to their spouse may have seen their burden of care increase, given the possible lack of other support during the pandemic.

The burden on seniors is likely to increase as smaller families, and geographic mobility among Canadians, may reduce the supply of potential younger family caregivers.

Using data from 2018, Statistics Canada says a third of senior caregivers reported that their responsibilities were stressful or very stressful. Over a quarter reported that their overall health had suffered because of their caregiving responsibilities.