Publications
Are you aware of any research or publication that may interest caregivers? Please contact us and we can post it here.
Growing need for non-paid eldercare continues to largely disrupt the work of women: IWH study (2019). This article summarizes the findings of an Institute for Work and Health (IWH) study that looks at what impact caregiving has on men's vs. women's participation in the labour force. To read the research paper, click here.
We Should Care More About Caregivers (2019) - In this editorial on Vulnerable Populations for the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Nathan Stall, MD gives a clear summary of important research on caregiving, and a compelling argument on why Canada needs to do more to care for its unpaid caregivers. Note: Caregivers Nova Scotia does not use, nor support the use of, the term informal caregiver.
Leaving Some Behind: What Happens When Workers Get Sick (2015) - In this report, issued by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), the IRPP's findings and recommendations highlight the need for a significant renewal of Canada’s income, disability and employment support system. The report also discusses the role of family & friend caregivers, both as workers themselves or as the caregiver to the worker who becomes ill: pages 5, 6, 17-18, 23, and 37 may be of interest.
Caregiver Tele-Group Support: Evaluation Report (2015) - CNS and the Dalhousie School of Occupational Therapy identified a need to develop a pragmatic support program for caregivers who are unable to attend in-person support groups. This led to the creation of the Caregiver Tele-Group Support (CTGS) program – a telephone support group for family/friend caregivers, which was piloted in the fall of 2014. The report discusses the initial data gathered from this program.
Continuing Care - A Path to 2017. Review, Refocus, Renewal (2015) - A report on the results of an evaluation of the NS provincial Continuing Care Strategy. The evaluation was requested by Health & Wellness Minister Leo Glavine as the strategy's 10-year mandate ends in 2017.
Knowledge and skills needed by carers to look after terminally ill patients at home (2014) - This U.K. study looks at the lived experiences of family/friend carers providing care for an adult receiving palliative care at home. It also explores carers’ experiences about what they need to know in order to provide care and the practical skills that carers believe they need for their role.
Young Canadians Providing Care (2014) - This is an analytical paper based on data from the 2012 General Social Survey.
National Guidelines for a Comprehensive Service System to Support Family Caregivers of Adults with Mental Health Problems and Illnesses (2013) - A loved one’s mental health problem or illness often impacts family, friends, and supporters. Caring for a person living with a mental illness often creates emotional, physical, financial and social burdens for caregivers. The Mental Health Commission of Canada has created guidelines for policy makers and service providers that seek to recognize and support family caregivers’ needs, including recommendations on services and supports caregivers find useful.
Aboriginal Health Care Report (2012) - This report on Canada's health care performance is a pan-Canadian look at progress to date in home and community care, health human resources, telehealth, access to care in the North and health indicators.
Respite Care in Canada (2012) - This brief explores the respite care landscape in Canada with the purpose of: broadening awareness of the current respite experience among key stakeholders, including family/friend caregivers, care and service providers, health planners, policymakers, and the Federal government.
Home Alone: Family Caregivers Providing Complex Chronic Care (2012) - The results of this U.S. study challenge the common perception of family caregiving as a set of personal care and household chores that most adults already do or can easily master. The report recommends actions including encouraging healthcare professionals and providers to reassess the way they interact with caregivers, ensuring that they are well trained and prepared to perform difficult tasks, revising how caregiving tasks are labeled and identified, and including family caregivers’ needs in the development of new models of care.
National Advance Care Planning Framework - The long-term goal of the project is to raise the awareness of Canadians about the importance of advance care planning and to equip them with the tools they need to effectively engage in the process. The secondary goal is to prepare professionals/healthcare providers with the tools they need so they can facilitate and engage in the process of advance care planning with their clients.
Seniors in Need, Caregivers in Distress (2012) - explores the growing issue of home care in Canada. The report takes a deeper look at the seniors who are receiving home care, the family caregivers that are lending support, as well as the challenges of home care in Canada.
Supporting Caregivers and Caregiving in an Aging Canada (2011) - In this Institute for Research and Public Policy (IRPP) study, author Janice Keefe presents an overview of caregiving in Canada today, including the financial and other costs incurred by unpaid caregivers and the type and extent of public support they receive.
Evaluating Canada's Compassionate Care Benefit From the Perspective of Family Caregivers (2010) - This study aimed to provide policymakers with the information required on how to improve the CCB program and better meet the needs of family caregivers in Canada.
Seniors Caring for Seniors (2010) - This international literature review carried out by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists focuses on current understandings of older adult caregivers in the context of the physical impacts of engaging in caregiving.
Supporting Informal Caregivers— The Heart of Home Care - This CIHI study provides planners and policy-makers with a starting point for an evidence-informed discussion on caregiver distress and its potential impact on the healthcare system.
Balancing Paid Work and Caregiving Responsibilities: A Closer Look at Family Caregivers in Canada (2009) - this report seeks to increase our understanding of what it means to be an employed caregiver in Canada today.
Who Cares and How Much? The imputed economic contribution to the Canadian healthcare system of middle-aged and older unpaid caregivers providing care to the elderly (2009) - What if the unpaid care provided by Canadians to the elderly were replaced by paid care providers? How can we assess the value of unpaid caregiving to the healthcare system? Authors Hollander, Liu, and Chappell examine these questions through detailed analysis of data from Statistics Canada's 2002 General Social Survey (GSS) and the (2007) Labour Force Survey, as well as a scan of the literature.
A Portrait of Unpaid Care in Nova Scotia (2006) - is the first in a series of documents presenting research findings. It is part of a larger program of research entitled A Healthy Balance: A community alliance for health research on women’s unpaid caregiving. This report focuses on the scope of caregiving in Nova Scotia with particular attention to understanding the relationship between caregiving and its impact on the health and economic condition of caregivers and care receivers. This research is what led to the first edition of The Caregiver's Handbook (2007).