The Ontario Caregiver Coalition Calls on All Parties to Make Caregivers a Priority in this Election

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ontario, Canada

 

Tuesday, April 5, 2022 – The Ontario Caregiver Coalition is marking Family Caregiver Day by calling on all parties to make caregivers a priority in the upcoming Ontario provincial election to be held on June 2, 2022.

 

Family caregivers play a critical role in the health care system filling the gaps to ensure the people they love receive the care they need. The pressures on caregivers have always been demanding, but the COVID-19 pandemic made these challenges even harder. “Even before the pandemic, our health care system relied on family caregivers to hold it together,” Daniel Nowoselski, Chair of the Communications & Awareness Committee at the Ontario Caregiver Coalition, said. “Family caregivers and the issues they face deserve to be a part of the conversation on how we fix the issues the pandemic exposed.”

 

To that end, the Ontario Caregiver Coalition is calling on all parties to make caregivers a priority in this election, by:

 

• Recognizing the role of caregivers as part of the care team and including them in decisions about the future of our health care system

• Providing financial support to caregivers

• Making it easier for caregivers to access home and community care supports, including self-directed care programs

 

Family Caregiver Day is celebrated annually on the first Tuesday in April. Currently, 3.3 million or 29% of Ontarians are unpaid family caregivers – with nearly 850,000 caregivers providing more than 10 hours of care per week. Time and again, we hear from caregivers about the administrative burden, the impact on their employment, and the financial challenges associated with providing care – as well as the impact on their emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

 

All parties need to have a plan to support those currently caring for a loved one that is sustainable to support those who will be caring for a loved one sooner than they think.

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Media Contact

Daniel Nowoselski - 647-562-5929 or Ontariocaregivercoalitionocc@gmail.com

Joanne Bertrand – jbertrand@alzon.ca

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