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To the Editor:
We are loathe to quibble with an article so agreeably titled as “We Should Care More About Caregivers” (1), but quibble we must. Our concern stems more from what is not said than from what is.
Dr. Stall rightly notes that the vast majority of care for older Canadians is provided by family caregivers – who would swiftly agree that their work is unpaid but would summarily reject the label “informal” – and that caregiving is becoming increasingly complex and stressful. These are troubling trends given that recent data indicate only about 1 in 5 caregivers feel they are coping very well. (2)
It is of course true that additional financial support would undoubtedly be welcomed by most family caregivers and that enhanced workplace accommodations for caregivers are clearly needed. What we feel is missing from Dr. Stall’s call for more caring is that it is actually the healthcare system itself that most needs to change, and that the “we” who can and should do more includes us – those who work in the system.
Data show that many family caregivers do not self-identify in the role of caregiver, but that they nonetheless feel they’re fully or partially responsible for organizing and sustaining the patient’s circle of care (2), which is simply untenable given the labyrinth-like maze we persist in calling a system. Our healthcare ‘system’ is so disconnected and fragmented that even healthcare professionals who work in the system everyday report g...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.