Facebook campaign pushes for paid leave for workers caring for elderly relatives
November 07, 2011
A home health company is supporting a Facebook campaign to remind provincial and federal lawmakers about pledges to support workers who need to take time off to care for elderly relatives, as reported in The Observer. The "Vote to Support Caregivers" campaign calls for temporary paid leave for these employees.
"We can't have a system where we're paying for a person 100 percent to be in an institution and not helping the family when they're providing 80 percent of the care," said Stuart Cottrelle, president of Bayshore Home Health. This applies "especially in a community like Sarnia [in Ontario] where you've got very hard-working two-income families."
Caring for a senior can add another 20 hours of work to someone's week, according to Bayshore Home Health's Sarnia office, adding that most of the elderly prefer to live at home than in an institution.
As of 2010, about 4.8 million Canadians were 65 years of age or older. By 2051, this age group is expected to make up a quarter of the population, according to the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
The "Vote to Support Caregivers" campaign is slated to last through the end of November.
Regulation and Legislation Changes in Home Health Care
