A Profile
of Family
Caregivers
in Ontario
Data
Figure 1 Gender of Caregivers
47% men
(N= 1.5 million)
2
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
3.3
million
53% women
(N= 1.8 million)
Figure 2 Age Range of Caregivers
“15 to 24” 17%
(N= 543,000)
“25 to 34” 15%
(N= 495,000)
“35 to 44” 15%
(N= 477,000)
“45 to 54” 23%
(N= 769,000)
“55 to 64” 19%
(N= 623,000)
“65 to 74” 8%
(N= 260,000)
“75 and up” 3%
(N= 114,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
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Figure 3 Caregiver Marital Status
Married 59%
(N= 1,922,000)
Common-law 6%
(N= 202,000)
Widowed 3%
(N= 94,000)
Separated 2%
(N= 62,000)
Divorced 3%
(N= 116,000)
Single, never married 27%
(N= 883,000)
Not stated 0%
(N= 3,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
4
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 4 Caregivers with children under 14
None 71%
(N=2,300,000)
One child 15%
(N= 486,000)
Two children 11%
(N= 366,000)
+
Three or more 3%
(N= 105,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
4
The terms used here to describe living arrangements are Statistics Canada terminology.
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
5
Figure 5 Caregivers with Children under 14 Years of Age as a Function of Gender
2,000,000
1,500,000
1.5 million
1.8 million
3%
11%
15%
49,000
180,000
221,000
71%
1.1 million
3%
11%
58,000
190,000
15%
260,000
71%
1.3 million
1,000,000
500,000
0
MEN
Caregivers, rounded to the nearest thousand
0
children
6
WOMEN
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1
child
2
children
3+
children
Figure 6 Caregiver Living Arrangements
Couple only
27%
Intact family
49%
Step-family with common child
2%
Step-family without common child
4%
Lone parent family
9%
309,000
No spouse/partner or children
9%
299,000
890,000
1,606,000
57,000
120,000
0
450,000
900,000
1,350,000
1,800,000
Caregivers, rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
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Figure 7 Caregivers’ Community
86%
8
14%
URBAN
RURAL
(N= 2,828,000)
(N= 453,000)
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Figure 8 Time Spent Traveling by Size of Community
Large Urban Population Centres
68%
(N= 110,000)
2%
(N= 3,000)
9%
(N= 14,000)
12%
(N= 20,000)
3%
(N= 4,000)
5%
(N= 9,000)
1%
(N= 2,000)
Rural Areas and Small Population Centres
Same Household
Same Building
<10min by car
10 to <30min by car
30min to <1h by car
1h to <3h by car
3h or more by car
82%
(N= 38,000)
0%
(N= 0)
8%
(N= 4,000)
0%
(N= 0)
9%
(N= 4,000)
0%
(N= 0)
1%
(N= 500)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
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Figure 9 Caregiver Education by Gender
University certificate or
degree above a bachelor's
4% 141 4% 126
9% 281
Bachelor's degree
University certificate
below a bachelor's
1% 43 | 2% 76
College, or other
non-university designation
12% 388
13% 440
High school or equivalent
Less than high school
5% 179
Not stated / unknown
.2% 8 | .3% 12
0
16% 477
6% 202
200
Male
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16% 498
.08% 49 | .07% 27
Trade certificate or diploma
10
10% 334
Female
400
600
800
1,000
*caregivers thousands
Figure 10 Caregiver Annual Personal Income
No income or loss 8%
(N= 268,000)
Less than $40,000 37%
(N= 1,231,000)
$40,000 - $59,999 17%
(N= 549,000)
$60,000 - $79,000 10%
(N= 329,000)
$80,000 - $99,999 8%
(N= 228,000)
$100,000 and up 7%
(N= 265,000)
Not Reported 13%
(N= 429,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
11
Figure 11 Caregiver Annual Household Income
No income or loss 0%
(N= 12,000)
Less than $40,000 11%
(N= 331,000)
$40,000 - $59,999 10%
(N= 314,000)
$60,000 - $79,000 10%
(N= 306,000)
$80,000 - $99,999 11%
(N= 340,000)
$100,000 and up 35%
(N= 1,132,000)
Not Reported 23%
(N= 661,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
12
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 12 Caregiver Main Source of Income
Not Stated
Other Income
Child Tax Benefit
Social Assistance / Welfare
Old Age Security
86
81
18
35
43
Pensions (Retirement/CPP)
Workers' Compensation
Employment Insurance (EI)
Investments / RRSPs
Self-Employment
Employment
No Income
371
3
36
55
305
1,979
266
0
500
1000
1500
2000
*caregivers (thousands)
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
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Figure 13 Main Sources of Income as a Function of Caregiver Age
532,000 480,000 463,000 742,000 607,000 256,000 112,000
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
Age
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
65-74
1%
Other Income
3%
3%
2%
1%
5%
Child Tax Benefit
1%
1%
1%
0.5%
0.3%
Welfare/Income Supplement
1%
2%
1%
1%
Old Age Security
Pensions
1%
EI
4%
75+
1%
1%
1%
0.2%
9%
16%
62%
68%
2%
18%
0.5%
0.3%
1%
1%
0.3%
1%
1%
Workers’ Compensation
14
55-64
Investments/RRSPs
1%
3%
5%
11%
Self-Employed
3%
8%
13%
14%
11%
8%
2%
Employed
65%
78%
76%
73%
55%
13%
2%
No Income
26%
4%
4%
6%
6%
1%
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Figure 14 Caregiver Household Income and Time Spent Caregiving
Not Reported
27%
21%
16%
$100,000+
28%
37%
48%
$80,000 - 99,000
12%
10%
11%
$60,000 - 79,000
8%
11%
9%
$40,000 - 59,000
10%
11%
9%
Less than $40,000
15%
10%
7%
227
320
114
235
561
336
102
80
70
170
66
84
165
65
128
41
0
100
10+ hours
158
162
200
300
2-9 hours 1 hour (or less)
400
500
600
*caregivers (thousands)
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
15
Figure 15 Ethnicities of Ontario’s Caregivers
Scottish, Irish, British,
and the Isles
European (Central, East
and West)
34% | 1,154,000
22% | 735,000
Canadian (English)
16% | 533,000
Other
9% | 319,000
Not Stated
7% | 246,000
South Asian (East Indian,
Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Punjab)
5% | 182,000
3% | 90,000
Chinese
3% | 85,000
Canadian (French)
Aboriginal (North American
Indian, Métis, Inuit)
1% | 24,000
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
Caregivers, rounded to the nearest thousand
16
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 16 Relationship to Care Receiver
47% | 1,556,000
Parent or In-Law
Other Family Member
24% | 772,000
Close friend, neighbour,
or colleague
13% | 420,000
Spouse
7% | 233,000
Child
6% | 182,000
Other Relationship
2% | 81,000
Not Stated
1% | 37,000
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
Caregivers, rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
17
Figure 17 Age of People Caregivers are Caring for
25 to 34 3%
(N= 26,000)
35 to 44 4%
(N= 38,000)
45 to 54 10%
(N= 82,000)
55 to 64 12%
(N= 103,000)
65 to 74 9%
(N= 79,000)
75+ 9%
(N= 75,000)
Not Stated 53%
(N= 452,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
18
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 18 Reasons for Caregiver Support
Not Answered
Physical Disability
Respiratory Problems
Developmental Disorder
Back Problem
Diabetes
Arthritis
Accident Injury
Neurological Disease
Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia
Mental Illness
CV Disease
Cancer
Other Health Problems
Aging
71
56
71
69
94
99
141
146
178
198
221
2%
2%
2%
2%
3%
3%
4%
4%
5%
6%
7%
10%
10%
12%
28%
314
332
380
911
0
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
*caregivers (thousands)
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
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Figure 19 Hours of Caregiver Support per Week by Condition
1h/Week
2-9
or less h/Week
Aging
23%
51%
Other Health Problems
17%
45%
Cancer
11%
46%
CV Disease
20%
44%
Mental Illness
17%
48%
Alzheimer's or Dementia
6%
57%
Neurological Disease
20%
41%
Accident Injury
10%
31%
Arthritis
17%
52%
Diabetes
15%
44%
Back Problem
10%
54%
Developmental Disorder
28%
Respiratory Problems
7%
55%
Physical Disability
29%
38%
Not Answered
34%
32%
20
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
10+
h/Week
14%
24%
32%
25%
20%
26%
28%
48%
18%
31%
33%
51%
26%
23%
13%
100+
h/Week
1%
3%
4%
2%
4%
5%
2%
1%
2%
13%
3%
-
Not Stated/
Applicable
11%
11%
7%
9%
11%
6%
8%
11%
11%
9%
5%
9%
10%
11%
21%
Figure 20 Types of Help Provided by Caregivers
90% Emotional Support
2,948,000
79% Transportation Needs
2,577,000
57% Indoor Domestic Tasks
1,883,000
53% Outdoor Tasks
1,729,000
37% Scheduling Appointments
1,219,000
31% Manage Finances
1,016,000
940,000
29% Medical Treatments
25% Personal Care Provision
811,000
5% Other Tasks
168,000
0
500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000
Caregivers, rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
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Figure 21 Physical Strenuousness of Caregiver Activities
Very Strenuous 3%
(N= 106,000)
Strenuous 6%
(N= 182,000)
Somewhat Strenuous 26%
(N= 866,000)
Not Strenuous at All 37%
(N= 1,209,000)
Not Stated 28%
(N= 919,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
22
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 22 Caregivers’ Time Spent Caring as a Function of Gender
Don’t Know
6%
6%
6%
10+ Hours
26%
29%
22%
2-9 Hours
47%
48%
46%
1 Hour (or less)
21%
17%
26%
0
400
800
1,200
1,600
*caregivers (thousands)
Both
Women
Men
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
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Figure 23 Caregivers’ Time Spent Caring Related to Absenteeism
{
{
{
100+ Hours
10+ Hours
2-9 Hours
1 Hour (or less)
75%
7%
6%
58,000
5,000
4,000
13%
10,000
34%
29%
8%
5%
25%
58,000
35,000
27%
45%
4%
3%
21%
262,000
223,000
191,000
409,000
66,000
39,000
693,000
330,000
100%
702,000
0
100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000
*persons (thousands)
0
1-5
6-9
10+
Not Stated Absences Absences Absences Absences
24
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 24 Types of Help Provided by Caregivers versus
Absences at Paid Employment
0
1-5
6-9
10+
Absences Absences Absences Absences Not Stated
Transportation Needs 28%
18%
3%
5%
46%
Indoor Domestic
29%
20%
3%
6%
42%
Tasks
Outdoor Tasks
30%
19%
19%
5%
43%
Scheduling Appoint25%
21%
4%
8%
42%
ments
Managing Finances
20%
22%
4%
8%
46%
N= 2,577,000
N= 1,883,000
N= 1,729,000
N= 1,219,000
N= 1,016,000
Medical Treatments
23%
24%
5%
8%
40%
N= 940,000
Personal Care
25%
22%
5%
8%
41%
N= 811,000
Other Tasks
19%
22%
-
-
56%
N= 168,000
12
The GSS has no explanation as to why there was such a large non-response for work-life balance.
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
25
Figure 25 Work-Life Balance
Very Satisfied or Satisfied 53%
(N= 1,700,000)
Dissatisfied 8%
(N= 257,000)
Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied 13%
(N= 425,000)
Not Stated 26%
(N= 853,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
26
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 26 Caregiver Stress
Highly Stressful 9%
(N= 296,000)
Stressful 11%
(N= 366,000)
Somewhat Stressful 27%
(N= 892,000)
Not at all Stressful 23%
(N= 750,000)
Not Answered 30%
(N= 1,000,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
27
Figure 27 Caregiver Rewarding Experiences
Very Rewarding 26%
(N = 859,000)
Rewarding 22%
(N= 713,000)
Somewhat Rewarding 16%
(N= 538,000)
Not at all Rewarding 5%
(N= 152,000)
Not Answered 31%
(N= 1,018,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
28
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 28 Caregiver Stress Related to Type of Help
Transportation Needs
10%
Indoor Domestic Tasks
13%
Outdoor Tasks
Scheduling Appointments
9%
17%
13%
29%
14%
11%
31%
21%
30%
24%
31%
15% 16%
21%
21%
14% 19% 1,016,000
17% 17%
32%
Medical Treatments
18% 19%
35% 13% 15% 940,000
16%21%
Other Tasks
33% 16%15% 811,000
12% | 13% | 23% | 18% | 34%
0
1,729,000
1,219,000
Managing Finances
Personal Care
1,883,000
21%
25%
2,577,000
27%
500,000
1,000,000
168,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
Very
Stressful Somewhat Not at all Not Stated
Stressful
Stressful Stressful
2,500,000
3,000,000
Rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
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Figure 29 Caregiver Self-Rated Physical Health
Excellent 22%
(N= 722,000)
Very Good 35%
(N= 1,154,000)
Good 28%
(N= 926,000)
Fair 10%
(N= 324,000)
Poor 3%
(N= 104,000)
Not Stated 2%
(N= 51,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
30
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 30 Caregiver Self-Rated Mental Health
Excellent 27%
(N= 984,000)
Very Good 30%
(N= 1,079,000)
Good 25%
(N= 920,000)
Fair 6%
(N= 216,000)
Poor 11%
(N= 396,000)
Not Stated 1%
(N= 43,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
31
Figure 31 Caregiver Degree of Coping
Very Well 32%
(N= 1,068,000)
Generally Well 36%
(N= 1,185,000)
Not Very Well 3%
(N= 86,000)
Not Well at All 1%
(N= 23,000)
Not Stated 28%
(N= 920,000)
Rounded to the nearest thousand
32
THE CHANGE FOUNDATION
Figure 32 Governmental Financial Support
Did Not Receive
Financial Support
93% N= 3,051,000
Received
Financial Support
7% N= 233,000
0
700,000
1,400,000
2,100,000
2,800,000
3,500,000
Caregivers, rounded to the nearest thousand
A PROFILE OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN ONTARIO
33
CONTACT US
The Change Foundation
P.O. Box 42
200 Front Street West, Suite 2501
Toronto, ON M5V 3M1
www.changefoundation.ca
Copyright: The Change Foundation 2016