Caregiver Support Toronto, Ontario
Ontario’s life expectancy at the moment is 75 – but it’s on the rise. According to most estimates, the number of Ontario citizens who will be 85 or older will more than double by 2020. While on the one hand it is wonderful that so many Ontario residents are living longer, the rising number of older Canadians also represents a toll on families and health care systems. After all, who is it who will be caring for all these elderly Ontario residents? In many cases, it’s the Sandwich Generation.
The Sandwich Generation is an ever-increasing percentage of Ontario and Canada: working adults with children of their own, members of the Sandwich Generation find themselves caring for their aging children and their aging parents simultaneously. They are “sandwiched” between the generation younger than them still requiring their care, and the generation older than them who suddenly need care they didn’t need before. Mostly these sandwiched caregivers are women (about 60%), and the elderly they care for are mostly their own relatives (about 70%). Of the elderly relatives they care for, 60% of them are either a parent or a parent-in-law.
Support Groups for Ontario’s Sandwich Generation
Members of the Sandwich Generation often feel acutely alone, with responsibility piled upon their back to the breaking point. But in Ontario, as elsewhere in Canada, there’s no need to suffer alone. There are several organizations designed to support caregivers. These support groups are designed to help those caring for elderly relatives to educate themselves, establish coping strategies, and meet others who are sandwiched by the same pressures they are.
One such organization is the Family Caregivers’ Support Network (FCSN), which serves Toronto and the surrounding area. FCSN organizes support groups, provides educational resources, and maintains a Peer Telephone Support Line (1-888-283-8806). The Support Line gives Sandwich Generation caregivers a chance to talk to a dedicated volunteer of FCSN who can help caregivers get the support they need.
Tags: aging trends, Caregiver Support Toronto, caregiving, Elder Care, elder care Toronto, long term care Toronto
