Behind many patients is a family member, friend or neighbour playing an essential role in their care. They may be coordinating appointments, managing medications, preparing meals, providing transportation or helping someone navigate an increasingly complex health-care system. Yet many do not identify themselves as caregivers, and their own needs can easily remain outside the clinical conversation.

How many Canadians are caregivers?

About one in four Canadians aged 15 and older provides care to a family member or friend. In 2018, that was roughly 7.8 million people caring for someone with a long-term health condition, a physical or mental disability, or problems related to aging, according to Statistics Canada.

That makes caregiving a central part of health care, not a side issue. And as care increasingly extends beyond hospitals and clinics into homes and communities, recognizing and supporting caregivers is an important part of supporting patients too.

What challenges do family caregivers face?

Caregiving can be rewarding, but it can also be isolating and overwhelming. Caregivers may be balancing another person’s health needs with employment, family responsibilities, financial pressures and their own physical and mental health. Many are also trying to navigate services and supports they have never needed before.

How can clinicians recognize and support caregivers?

Clinicians can start by acknowledging the person providing care and asking how they are managing. Taking that moment helps bring the caregiver into the circle of care. It can begin with two straightforward questions:

These questions matter because people who provide substantial support to a family member or friend may still not see themselves as caregivers, and so may never go looking for caregiver-specific help.

But identifying a need is only part of the challenge. Clinicians also need practical resources they can offer, without having to become experts in every community service.

What is C-CART, the Canadian Caregiver Assessment & Resource Tool?

C-CART is a free online tool that helps caregivers identify their needs and connects them with personalized, evidence-based information, resources and supports. It was developed by experts and researchers at Baycrest’s Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Caregiving to translate Baycrest’s caregiving research into something people can use in their everyday lives.

How C-CART works

Caregivers complete a brief questionnaire and receive recommendations based on their circumstances. These may include health information, financial resources, community supports, translation services and other forms of help. The assessment also considers factors that can make help harder to reach, including geography and language, cultural or financial barriers.

C-CART is available in English and French and includes a chatbot that helps caregivers navigate and better understand the resources recommended to them. Instead of searching through multiple programs on their own, caregivers get a clear place to begin.

How supporting the caregiver supports the patient

Family and friends often help patients follow treatment plans, attend appointments, manage medications and remain safely in their homes and communities. When caregivers are struggling, the support that patients rely on can be affected too.

Recognizing caregiver needs is part of person- and family-centred care: seeing not only the patient’s clinical needs, but also the people and circumstances that make their care possible. For clinicians, C-CART offers a practical way to do that: see the caregiver, ask how they are doing and give them somewhere to turn.

Frequently asked questions about caregiver support

Who is considered a caregiver?

A caregiver is a family member, friend or neighbour who helps someone with a long-term health condition, a disability or needs related to aging. That help can include coordinating appointments, managing medications, preparing meals or providing transportation. Many people who do this work do not think of themselves as caregivers.

How many Canadians are caregivers?

According to Statistics Canada's 2018 General Social Survey, about one in four Canadians aged 15 and older, or roughly 7.8 million people, provided care to a family member or friend with a long-term health condition, a physical or mental disability, or problems related to aging.

What is C-CART?

C-CART, the Canadian Caregiver Assessment & Resource Tool, is a free online tool developed by experts and researchers at Baycrest's Koschitzky Centre for Innovations in Caregiving. It helps caregivers identify their needs and connects them with personalized, evidence-based information, resources and supports.

How does C-CART work?

Caregivers complete a brief questionnaire and receive recommendations based on their circumstances. These can include health information, financial resources, community supports and translation services. The tool also considers barriers such as geography, language, culture and finances, and it includes a chatbot to help explain the resources.

Is C-CART free, and what languages is it available in?

Yes. C-CART is free to use and is available in English and French at c-cart.baycrest.org. Caregivers can use it on their own, and health-care providers can share it with the family members, friends and neighbours who are helping to support a patient at home.

How can clinicians support caregivers during a patient visit?

Clinicians can start by recognizing the person providing care and asking simple questions, such as how they are managing and whether they have the support they need. When a need becomes clear, they can point the caregiver to a resource like C-CART to explore their needs more fully.

Sources

1. Statistics Canada. Caregivers in Canada, 2018. The Daily. January 8, 2020. www150.statcan.gc.ca