The Importance Of Caregiver Respite For Family Caregivers

May Is Family Caregiver Month

Gravitii Technologies would like to express deep appreciation to all the unpaid family caregivers who dedicate themselves to ensuring their loved ones maintain their quality of life and independence at home. It’s a fact that over 95% of individuals receiving long-term home care rely on an unpaid caregiver¹. Unfortunately, more than one-third of all family caregivers are distressed, and this number has been rising over the past five years. With people living longer and having increasingly complex care needs, there’s a growing demand for more comprehensive homecare support. Distressed caregivers often provide an average of 37 hours of care per week—the equivalent of a full-time job and double the time spent by caregivers who are less distressed².

The Need for More Caregiver Respite Support

It’s not surprising that family caregivers often feel under-supported, especially when caring for loved ones with complex needs³. Caregiver distress is higher when the level of care needed increases. In British Columbia, a recent report⁴ revealed that nearly 60% of distressed caregivers were looking after individuals receiving less than one hour of home support. Despite the crucial role caregiver respite plays in preventing burnout, about 70% of family caregivers reported that no form of respite was offered to them by the health authority.

These statistics are concerning and highlight the urgent need for better support systems. Caregivers are the backbone of the home care system, and providing them with more frequent and accessible respite care is vital to their well-being and the health of the system overall. Giving caregivers regular breaks ensures they can continue to provide high-quality care while maintaining their own physical and emotional health.

How Gravitii Supports Caregiver Respite

At Gravitii Technologies, we are committed to easing the burden on family caregivers and reducing burnout by providing easy access to care providers. We aim to remove the barriers of unnecessary bureaucracy and connect caregivers with the services they need in a timely manner. Knowing their loved ones are in capable hands, caregivers can take much-needed respite, secure in the knowledge that quality care is being provided.

If you or someone you know needs caregiver respite, visit us at Gravitii to assess your loved one’s care needs and arrange for professional support.

¹Canadian Institute for Health Information. Caregiver Distress [indicator]. Accessed May 8, 2023.

²Canadian Institute for Health Information. Caregiver Distress [indicator]. Accessed May 8, 2023.

³Office of the Seniors Advocate British Columbia. We Must Do Better: Home Support Services for B.C. Seniors. February 23, 2023.

⁴Office of the Seniors Advocate British Columbia. We Must Do Better: Home Support Services for B.C. Seniors. February 23, 2023.