Currently in Quebec, one person out of four assumes the role of informal caregiver, and this number will continue to increase. The documentary Behind the door of a caregiver, presented on Tou.tv, opened the discussion on the subject, and we would like to take it further. Because the role of caregiver requires preparation.
Although we are of the opinion that accessibility to home care and services must be greatly improved, these are rather the questions posed by the honorary professor at the Faculty of Nursing Sciences of the University of Montreal Francine Ducharme and the director general Support Assistant for Caregivers, Magalie Dumas, at the conclusion of this documentary that caught our attention. “Are our young people going to want to stay home to provide care? “Do we have to talk about it?” It is this societal issue that we believe is important to raise, namely the need for the population to conduct individual reflection, an open discussion in those around us (family and friends) as well as a collective conversation (including in our workplaces and at school) regarding the role of informal caregivers.
Recalling the proverb “We will cross the bridge once we reach the river”, informal caregivers often accept this role before knowing what it means or implies. We believe that it is necessary to prepare for it well before having to act as a caregiver, in order to be able to live this experience in a manner consistent with our values and capacities, as well as to identify our evolving support needs which are closely linked to the state of health of the person being cared for.
If our society wants to favor home care for the elderly as well as death at home, we cannot afford to wait any longer before undertaking such a reflection. Nurses and other health and social services professionals, through their proximity to people living with health problems and their relatives, their knowledge of the evolution of these problems and the care associated with them, must be the players to raise awareness of the importance of these discussions.
The impacts of caregiving, whether positive or negative on the personal, family, social or economic levels, must be understood in order to reflect in an informed way on our preparation and our will to assume this role, which can take different forms. . Thinking about these impacts must also lead us to think about the factors that influence this experience. As a future caregiver, what activities would you like to do? Accompaniment to appointments or running errands does not require the same commitment as taking care of a person living with cognitive disorders requiring a 24/7 presence.
Will you have the ability or the will to navigate the health and social services system? In addition, several factors that influence caregivers must be considered, for example, our living context, which includes our situation and our family and friend dynamics, our socioeconomic status, our education, our job, etc. According to authors, 85% of care for the elderly is provided by caregivers at home.
Are we ready to review our health and social services system for the benefit of the oldest or the most vulnerable? If so, in a context of shortage of professionals, it will be necessary to support young people wishing to embrace careers in care and social services. Without this commitment, we will ultimately suffer the consequences of this lack of reflection and commitment to review the resources available to loved ones and the elderly.
In our opinion, it is also important to ask the following questions: what are the expectations of our elderly parents regarding the support to be received from their loved ones? What are the wishes of our spouses, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren or friends to play the role of caregiver? What happens when there is no caregiver? These questions are essential for the future of our society. It is therefore urgent to think about this role of caregiver and to discuss it in order to provide early and adequate support to these people when the time comes, and this, in accordance with their wishes, their expectations and their limits.
Since we are all aging, we invite you to open the dialogue on these questions with your loved ones and prepare for caregiving now.
* Co-signed this text: Anne Bourbonnais, Tanya Mailhot, Véronique Dubé, Isabelle Auclair and Thania Crnich-Côté.
* Also signed this text: Anne Bourbonnais, associate professor at the Faculty of Nursing Sciences at UdeM, researcher at the IUGM Research Center and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Care for the Elderly and of the nursing research for the elderly and the family; Tanya Mailhot, assistant professor at the Faculty of Nursing at UdeM and researcher at the ICM Research Center; Véronique Dubé, associate professor at the Faculty of Nursing at UdeM, researcher at the CHUM Research Center and holder of the Marguerite-d’Youville Research Chair in Humanistic Interventions in Nursing; Isabelle Auclair and Thania Crnich-Côté, respectively doctoral candidate and master’s student at the Faculty of Nursing at UdeM.