Caregivers In Canada Research Articles

Social support, social participation, & depression among caregivers and non-caregivers in Canada: a population health perspective

Objectives: The study used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to investigate the relationships among social support (measured as affectionate support, emotional/informational support, positive social interaction, tangible support), social participation and depression in caregivers and non-caregivers.Method: Hierarchical multiple regression was used to investigate relationships among social support, social participation, and depression. Analyses of variance were used to examine differences in the means of social support, social participation, and depression between the two participant groups.Results: Higher levels of affectionate support, positive social interaction, and social participation were associated with lower depression scores. Social participation was a significant mediator of the relationship between caregiver status and depression. Caregivers reported significantly higher levels of affectionate support, emotional/informational support, positive social interaction, and social participation than non-caregivers. There were no between-group difference in depression scores.Discussion: The study provides support for the beneficial role of social participation in preserving caregiver mental health. Results are discussed in the context of policy and practice implications for caregivers in Canada.

The Experience of Bereaved South Asian Family Caregivers of Adult Family Members: An Interpretive Description

The South Asian population faces several challenges when receiving palliative care, including language barriers, unawareness of resources, and poor cultural awareness among health care providers. However, little is known about the needs of South Asian family caregivers in Canada. The purpose of this study is to understand the experience of bereaved South Asian caregivers, who cared for a family member in their last year of life. An interpretive description design was used. Eleven participants were recruited from a community hospice and a community health centre. Participants were adult South Asian caregivers and at least two months bereaved. Audio-recorded one-on-one interviews were conducted, followed by a thematic analysis of the transcripts. Five themes were identified to describe the experience of bereaved South Asian family caregivers: transforming perceptions of life and death, the influence of culture on the experience; the challenges of being a caregiver; coping with the challenges of caregiving; and getting support. Caregivers expressed feeling a sense of duty to their family members and were reluctant to utilize long-term care homes or hospices. Misconceptions associated with roles, such as personal support workers, affected caregivers' experiences and their access to formal support services. In reflecting on their experiences, caregivers had a deeper appreciation for life and were more willing to talk about death and dying. The experience of South Asian caregivers is complex with several underlying cultural influences. This study has important implications for improving the delivery of culturally sensitive palliative care and developing supports that address the challenges experienced by caregivers in the South Asian community.

Responding to the Structural Violence of Migrant Domestic Work: Insights from Participatory Action Research with Migrant Caregivers in Canada

This study explores international domestic workers’ response to employer abuse and exploitation following changes to Canada’s Live-in-Caregiver Program in 2014. This research followed an interpretive policy analysis research design, using feminist, participatory, and action research methods. University-based researchers, advocates, and peer researchers collaborated to develop and implement the project’s research and advocacy goals. Thirty-one caregivers in Toronto and Calgary participated in individual and/or focus group interviews to discuss access to permanent residence, working conditions and forms of support. Many shared examples of labor exploitation and psychological hardship due to precarious work conditions and long periods of family separation. Barriers to accessing services and fear of losing status led the majority of caregivers to rely primarily on informal networks for mutual aid and support. This paper identifies how changes in Canada’s temporary foreign worker program for live-in-caregivers exacerbates the structural violence of migrant care work, where the risk for abuse, exploitation, and risk of losing status is normalized. Migrant caregivers accept the precarious work conditions with the promise of permanent residence and the chance to improve their lives for themselves and their children. Towards envisioning improvements in social service delivery, our research highlighted the need for social services to increase outreach and safety planning for migrant workers who are vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and the loss of legal immigration status. Our research also supports grassroots advocacy to call for all migrant workers to be granted permanent resident status upon arrival to ameliorate the structural violence of migrant labor.

The Burden of Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Canadian Children: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Although atopic dermatitis (AD) has significant impacts on quality of life, data from Canada on the subject are limited. This survey aims to assess the burden of moderate to severe AD on quality of life and disease management for pediatric patients and their caregivers in Canada. The Eczema Society of Canada conducted an online national cross-sectional survey in English and French. We included children with self-reported moderate to severe AD. We present descriptive statistics from the survey. Of all initial respondents (n = 658), 70% (n = 458) were children or caregivers of children who have moderate or severe AD and were therefore eligible. Among them, 27% (123/451) are managed by a dermatologist, with 71% (174/244) waiting more than 3 months to see a dermatologist. Many respondents (85%, 279/330) feel that their child's AD is not well controlled, and 27% (75/275) have difficulty obtaining treatments for their child's AD. Impaired quality of life was found in 52% of families (200/381), with most reporting sleep disturbances in both the child (70%, 253/361) and the caregiver (55%, 199/361), as well as mental health issues. This survey demonstrates the medical and psychosocial burden of moderate to severe AD in Canadian children. Quality of life, access to care, and disease management are all areas of concern for patients and their families and warrant attention from individual clinicians and the health care system as a whole.

One of the family? Familial and professional relationships between migrant live-in caregivers and their employers

PurposeMany families in the developed world hire live-in caregivers to meet their childcare and elder care needs. Given the spatial arrangements – i.e., that the caregiver lives with her employer – relationships between employers and live-in caregivers can develop into family-like relationships. The purpose of this paper is to draw on data from two Canadian studies to examine the relationships between migrant live-in caregivers and their employers.Design/methodology/approachThe first study focused on the live-in caregivers in Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Filipina nurses who migrated to Canada through the Live-in Caregiver Program. The second study was a pilot descriptive study that included interviews of recruiter groups and employers of live-in caregivers. Data were thematically analyzed, aided by NVivo software.FindingsThe studies indicate that some live-in caregivers prefer to be treated as one of the family, while others prefer to have a strictly professional employer/employee relationship. Their employers are similarly divided. The authors identify reciprocity and respect as important ingredients for healthy relationships between live-in caregivers and their employers. Without these key ingredients, relationships between employers and live-in caregivers can be exploitative, especially given the unequal power inherent in the relationship.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies are needed to better understand how these relationships evolve over time and in space.Practical implicationsThere is a need to create policies to further prevent exploitation of live-in caregivers within an unfavorable employee or familial relationship.Originality/valueThis study provides useful insight into the development of knowledge on relationships between live-in caregivers and employers.

From “Migrant” to “Citizen”: Labor Market Integration of Former Live-In Caregivers in Canada

This study examines the impact of attaining permanent resident status on the employment integration of migrant caregivers in Canada. The authors use survey data from 631 caregivers who arrived as migrants under a temporary foreign worker program before transitioning to permanent residency, as well as data from 47 focus group discussions. The authors find that although most caregivers do switch out of caregiving work over time, they often remain within a few, lower-skilled occupations. Postsecondary education acquired before migration has no impact on occupational mobility. Caregivers’ lack of financial stability and the stigmatization of their employment experience often constrain their labor market options; moreover, an emotional bond and sense of obligation toward employers often hinder their ability to move out into other occupations, even after receiving legal permanent resident status. From the empirical results, the authors provide theoretical insights into the complex relationship between immigration patterns and labor markets.

The Unmet Needs of Patients and Carers within Community Based Primary Health Care

Introduction: Community Based Primary Health Care (CBPHC) is positioned as the foundation of integrated health systems, intended to support broader goals of population health and health system sustainability. CBPHC moves beyond traditional primary care (a physician visit) to team based care that spans organizational boundaries (such as primary care clinics + community care services). At the core of CBPHC are patients and their informal carers (family and friends) who can inform ongoing reforms in this sector by sharing their experience, particularly in areas that require improvement. The objective of this paper is to share the unmet needs of patients and caregivers within CBPHC. Methods: This study is part of a broader programme of research called, implementing integrated care for older adults with complex health needs (iCOACH). Semi-structured interviews are being conducted with older patients with complex care needs and with unpaid, informal carers across multiple CBPHC sites in Canada (Ontario and Quebec) and New Zealand. Interviews captured the roles, characteristics and needs of patients and carers, and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interviews were reviewed by multiple team members and a consensus codebook was created. The code “unmet need” was extracted from the patient and carer transcripts, and analyzed for core themes using an inductive approach. Results: Unmet needs culminated into three broad themes across patient and carer interviews: Accessing Care; Quality of Care; and Missing Care. Many patients accessed care within CBPHC, but the model itself tended to be spread across multiple settings and providers. Patients and carers also required access to services that were outside the CBPHC model. Challenges arose due to lack of transportation, out-of-pocket expenses, limited availability of assistive devices to support mobility, and long wait times. Quality of care and relationships were compromised if there was a language barrier, and when services were misaligned with the preferences of patients and carers. Components of care were often missing, such as respite care for carers, supports for instrumental activities of daily living (e.g., home maintenance and transportation), and supports to reduce social isolation. Conclusions: Due to the complex health and social needs of patients and carers, they often require access to multiple services and providers who are seldom situated under the same roof . Finding ways to integrate across organizational boundaries may reduce areas of unmet need. Furthermore greater attention to the social determinants of health within CBPHC may create a more holistic experience for patients and carers. Lessons Learned: CBPHC is intended to deliver holistic integrated care but when situated within a fragmented health care system, challenges for patients and carers persist. Limitations: Further comparisons need to be made between the unmet needs between patients and caregivers in Canada and New Zealand. Suggestions for future research: Next steps will include the development of a framework that describes the policy and organizational context, and provider configurations in each of the study jurisdictions. How these factors relate to different patient and carer needs and experiences, including areas of unmet need, will be explored to inform the development of person centered CBPHC models.

WHAT ARE THE PERCEPTIONS OF DEMENTIA CAREGIVING AND HELP-SEEKING AMONG PROSPECTIVE KOREAN CAREGIVERS?

Providing care to a family member with dementia is associated with many physical and emotional issues, which include social isolation and financial burdens. Immigrant caregivers, especially in the Korean community, are not an exception in this matter. Despite the increasing number of Korean immigrants and Korean Canadians with family caregivers in Canada, little research has been done to explore how people with multi- or cross-cultural values, specifically Koreans, understand dementia caregiving, and what their help-seeking patterns are in Canada. The purpose of this research is to examine: 1) How do Koreans living in Montreal conceive the role of family and other social supports in the provision of care to people living with dementia? 2) What are the commonalities and differences in providing care to family members with dementia among prospective Koreans caregivers? This study used phenomenological approaches and purposeful sampling for data collection. In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight prospective Korean caregivers (both immigrants and Canadian-born people Korean of ethnic origin). All interviews were tape recorded transcribed and analyzed. Several methods were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the study, including transferability, dependability, credibility, and confirmability. Analysis of these interviews found three emerging themes which related to prospective Korean caregivers’ perceptions of dementia caregiving and social support. Three emerging themes were following: 1) the importance of family care; 2) the roles of the Korean church as a support system; 3) ability to find resources and help from outside of the family. Findings from this study suggest that service providers are crucial to the provision of services to primary caregivers as well as their family members. Service providers who have different cultural backgrounds should first attempt to understand their clients’ family values and then offer information to family members regarding how to engage in caregiving. In doing so, caregivers and their family members can not only reduce their levels of care burden but also provide better care to their loved ones with dementia.

Feelings of distance and proximity: exploring the emotional geographies of men caregiving for family members with multiple chronic conditions

Care exchanges are imbued with emotion, yet few geography of caregiving researchers have explored how emotions shape such experiences. Furthermore, the emotions of caregiver men have been largely overlooked. As such, this secondary analysis aims to geographically explore the emotion discourse of a diverse group of men caregiving for family members with multiple chronic conditions. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with nineteen men caregivers in Canada, our thematic findings reveal that the men’s discourse portrayed emotions experienced relationally at three levels: Between the caregivers and their own selves, others and the wider community. It was also found that the men commonly expressed their emotional experiences using geographic notions of distance (e.g. feeling far, isolated) and proximity (e.g. feeling close, connected) and that these emotions were further complicated by the participants’ diversity or situated ‘place-in-the-world’. Overall, our findings demonstrate the importance of emotional geographies in caregiver men’s lived realities and how they move between distance and proximity in order to manage their emotions as caregivers. By considering caregiver diversity and the role emotions play in shaping caregiver experiences, programs, services and best practice can become better informed on ways to enhance the provision of more context sensitive and equitable caregiver support.

Caught between a rock and a hard place: mental health of migrant live-in caregivers in Canada

BackgroundCanada depends on Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs), also known as migrant workers, to fill labour shortage in agriculture, hospitality, construction, child/senior care, and other low-skilled occupations. Evidence shows that TFWs, especially women live-in caregivers (LC), constitute a vulnerable population. Their health is compromised by the precarious and harsh working and living conditions they encounter. There is a paucity of research on the mental health of LCs, their support systems and access to mental health services.MethodIn this community-based exploratory study, we used mixed methods of survey and focus groups to explore the work related experiences and mental health of migrant live-in caregivers in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Convenience and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants. The inclusion criteria were: being 18 years or older, initially migrated to Canada as TFWs under LC program, resided in the Greater Toronto Area, and able to understand and converse in English based on self-report. This paper reports on the focus group results derived from inductive thematic analysis.ResultsA total of 30 women LCs participated in the study. Most of them were from the Philippines. A number of key themes emerged from the participants’ narratives: (1) precarious migration-employment status (re)produces exploitation; (2) deskilling and downward social mobility reinforce alienation; (3) endurance of hardship for family back home; (4) double lives of public cheerfulness and private anguish; and (4) unrecognized mental health needs. The study results reflected gross injustices experienced by these women.ConclusionA multi-faceted approach is required to improve the working and living conditions of this vulnerable group and ultimately their health outcomes. We recommend the following: government inspection to ensure employer compliance with the labour standards and provision of safe working and living conditions; change immigration policy to allow migrant caregivers to apply for permanent residence upon arrival; the TFWs Program to establish fair wages and subsidized housing so that caregivers can truly access the live-out option; and local ethno-specific, settlement and faith organizations be leveraged to provide TFWs with social support as well as information about their rights and how to access health and social care.

Care-related Out-of-Pocket Spending and Caregiving Consequences: Results from a Canadian Population-based Study

This study focused on out-of-pocket expenditures resulting from providing unpaid care to family members, friends, and neighbours. The main objective was to examine whether care-related out-of-pocket spending has a significant independent effect on caregiving consequences after controlling for the effects of other potential contributing factors. Cross-sectional data from the 2007 General Social Survey were used. Descriptive analyses and multivariate regression modeling were conducted. We found that an estimated 42.3% of the Canadian caregivers reported experiencing at least one of the six caregiving consequences. Results also showed that out-of-pocket spending was significantly associated with increased odds of caregiving consequences for men and women. This finding highlights the urgent need for policies and programs to support family/friend caregivers.

Father is the Sky. Mother is the Earth: The Influence of Filial Piety in the Caregiving Experiences of Mandarinspeaking Chinese Caregiver-Employees in Southern Ontario, Canada

Caregiver-employees (CEs) are individuals who fulfill an unpaid caregiving role while simultaneously sustaining paid work. Managing these dual roles can place CEs at increased risk for caregiving burden, decreased workplace productivity and/or depressive symptoms. Few studies have examined immigrant CEs perspectives on caregiving in Canada and how cultural obligations shape caregiving in Mandarin-speaking Chinese immigrant families. The purpose of the present study was twofold: 1) to understand the perspectives on caregiving of Mandarinspeaking Chinese immigrant CEs residing in Southern Ontario, Canada, and; 2) to explore how, post-migration, CEs manage their dual roles of unpaid caregiving and paid work. Data analysis of interviews from thirteen Mandarin-speaking Chinese immigrants, using Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory, revealed five themes: 1) Filial Responsibility; 2) Gender Roles; 3) Managing dual roles; 4) Family Conflicts, and; 5) Future Concerns. This paper discusses the first three themes. Participants’ narratives suggest that there was excessive demand on CEs time to help the care recipient navigate various Canadian systems (such as health care), due to care recipients’ inability to communicate in English and/or their lack of understanding of these systems. Even though fulfilling filial responsibility created caregiver fatigue, the positive attitude and perceptions towards filial responsibility may have helped caregivers manage daily work and life challenges. There is an indication that most participants did not have many workplace accommodations to manage their dual roles of caregiving and paid employment. Building on the findings of this study, specific to filial obligations shaping caregiving in Chinese immigrant families, future studies include the examination of the influence of filial responsibility on the health and well-being of this population. Policies and practices ought to consider the unique needs of this cultural group in developing culturally appropriate institutional and community supports.

Predicting the role of assistive technologies in the lives of people with dementia using objective care recipient factors.

BackgroundThe population of people with dementia is not homogeneous. People with dementia exhibit a wide range of needs, each characterized by diverse factors including age, sex, ethnicity, and place of residence. These needs and characterizing factors may influence the applicability, and ultimately the acceptance, of assistive technologies developed to support the independence of people with dementia. Accordingly, predicting the needs of users before developing the technologies may increase the applicability and acceptance of assistive technologies. Current methods of prediction rely on the difficult collection of subjective, potentially invasive information. We propose a method of prediction that uses objective, unobtrusive, easy to collect information to help inform the development of assistive technologies.MethodsWe develop a set of models that can predict the level of independence of people with dementia during 20 activities of daily living using simple, objective information. Using data collected from a Canadian survey conducted with caregivers of people with dementia, we create an ordered logistic regression model for each of the twenty daily tasks in the Bristol ADL scale.ResultsData collected from 430 Canadian caregivers of people with dementia were analyzed to reveal: most care recipients were mothers or husbands, married, living in private housing with their caregivers, English-speaking, Canadian born, clinically diagnosed with dementia 1 to 6 years prior to the study, and were dependent on their caregiver. Next, we developed models that use 13 factors to predict a person with dementia’s ability to complete the 20 Bristol activities of daily living independently. The 13 factors include caregiver relation, age, marital status, place of residence, language, housing type, proximity to caregiver, service use, informal primary caregiver, diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, time since diagnosis, and level of dependence on caregiver. The resulting models predicted the aggregate level of independence correctly for 88 of 100 total responses categories, marginally for nine, and incorrectly for three.ConclusionsObjective, easy to collect information can predict caregiver-reported level of task independence for a person with dementia. Knowledge of task independence can then inform the development of assistive technologies for people with dementia, improving their applicability and acceptance.

The emotional health and well-being of Canadians who care for persons with mental health or addictions problems.

The purpose of this project was to examine the emotional health and well-being of Canadian caregivers of persons with significant mental health or addictions problems. We assessed the emotional health of caregivers by care-receiver condition type (i.e. mental health or addictions vs. physical or other health problems), levels of caregiver stress and methods particularly for reducing stress among caregivers of persons with mental health or addictions disorders. Weighted cross-sectional data from the 2012 General Social Survey (Caregiving and Care Receiving) were modelled using weighted descriptive and logistic regression analyses to examine levels of stress and the emotional health and well-being of caregivers by care-receiver condition type. Caregivers of persons with mental health or addictions problems were more likely to report that caregiving was very stressful and that they felt depressed, tired, worried or anxious, overwhelmed; lonely or isolated; short-tempered or irritable; and resentful because of their caregiving responsibilities. The results of this study suggest that mental health and addictions caregivers may experience disparate stressors and require varying services and supports relative to caregivers of persons with physical or other health conditions.

Identities in Transition: Women Caregivers in Bereavement

ABSTRACTPopulation aging and longevity due to medical advances over the past few decades have meant that the approximately 44 million caregivers in the United States and eight million caregivers in Canada must provide more intensive levels of care and for longer periods of time. Consequently, caregivers are often profoundly affected by their caregiving role in emotional, psychological, physical, and financial ways. Thirty years of research on this population have helped to create a caregiver profile and identify the significant challenges for caregivers. One area explored to a much lesser extent is the postcaregiving period, when the caregiver transitions into a period of bereavement. This period can be particularly challenging for caregivers given the commitment inherent in the caregiving process. Research has shown that the emotional reactions of caregivers as well as practical challenges do not end with the death of the care recipient. In fact, complex realities, tensions, and responses continue well after the death into the postcaregiving period. This study of bereaved women caregivers explored their lived experiences in the postcaregiving phase. One central theme emerged and suggested that the experience of caregiving had an effect on the caregivers’ identities, which then influenced their bereavement processes and experiences.

Developing a Canadian-Specific Version of the Fitness-to-Drive Screening Measure©.

The Fitness-to-Drive Screening Measure(©) (FTDS) is a valid and reliable screening tool that identifies at-risk older drivers. Although 12,300 Canadians have used the FTDS in the last 2 years, the resources/recommendations targeted the U.S. The objective of this article is to identify the FTDS resources/recommendations appropriate for Canadian users and the barriers that Canadian stakeholders experience when promoting older driver fitness. Twenty stakeholders from three provinces (eight occupational therapists, three certified driver rehabilitation specialists, four physicians, and five members of advocacy organizations) participated in semi-structured interviews. We conducted summative and thematic content analysis. A comprehensive set of resources/recommendations was identified. Barriers to older driver fitness decisions included fear of losing the license, compromising the physician-client relationship, insufficient training/resources for health care professionals, and inadequate alternative transportation. Canadian context-specific resources/recommendations were integrated into a Canadian version of the FTDS. This version may better serve Canadian older drivers, caregivers, and health care professionals.

Care-Related Out-of-Pocket Expenditures in Canada

This research examined the prevalence and amount of care-related out-of-pocket expenditures of family caregivers and the factors that influence this spending. Secondary analysis of 2007 General Social Survey (Cycle 21) data yielded population estimates for Canadians age 45 years and older. Thirty-five percent of respondents—1.2 million Canadians—reported care-related out-of-pocket expenditures, which amounted to almost $12.6 million. Caregivers who were more likely to incur these costs reported higher levels of stress, were caring for a family member or friend with more complex health conditions, were providing more intense levels of care, and lived further away from the care receiver. We find that care-related out-of-pocket spending is common among Canadian caregivers, that it can be substantial, and that relatively few caregivers receive financial supports that can defray these costs.

The Ebbs and Flows: Stresses of Sandwich Generation Caregivers

The term sandwich generation describes individuals who are caught between the competing demands of caring for at least one dependent child and one or more aging parents. Of the approximate 8.1 million caregivers in Canada, 28 % were considered “sandwiched”. Similar trends were found in the United States, with 15 % of middle-aged adults being sandwiched financially. Currently, little is known about the unique experiences of those providing care at both ends of the generational ladder. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore the lived experiences of two married sandwich generation caregivers through the use of a case study. A married male and female who were caring for two dependent children and three aging parents each completed two one-on-one interviews with the researcher. The aging parents had varying ailments and needs, and thus the level of care required for each senior fluctuated. Several salient themes emerged from the data, but the following will be the focus of this paper: (1) Ebbs and Flows and (2) Stresses of Being Sandwiched. Notably, the participants’ discussed how their lived experience differed depending on their current situation, as was also evident when the two interviews were compared. During difficult times, the participants’ faced a number of challenges which will be discussed within the paper. As such, future research being conducted with this population should be conducted at multiple time points in order to fully capture the dynamic lived experiences of sandwich generation caregivers.

Caring for the Family Caregiver: Lessons Learned in Child Health.

Policy to support informal caregivers is a critical health policy issue in Canada. Lessons may be learned from the perspectives and experience in the child health field with applicability for all cared-for persons and their informal caregivers. Familycentred care addresses the centrality of the family caregiver in the design and delivery of health services. A life course approach focuses on key periods of transition and downstream effects facing caregivers over their lifetime. The medical home model where care delivery is more coordinated offers potential direct cost savings for both family caregivers and the healthcare system. Models of pediatric home care that focus on promoting caregiver capacity and integration of unregulated providers show the promise of being acceptable and sustainable solutions to increasing demands for caregiver respite. Finally, a number of assumptions that are somewhat unique to the pediatric caregiver experience are explored and/or challenged. These lessons and assumptions may provide insight for policymakers in the development of systems and supports for all cared-for persons and their caregivers in Canada.

Impacts of care-giving and sources of support: a comparison of end-of-life and non-end-of-life caregivers in Canada.

This is the second in a series of papers that deal with care-giving in Canada, as based on data available from the Canadian General Social Survey (2007). Building on the first paper, which reviewed the differences between short-term, long-term and end-of-life (EOL) caregivers, this paper uniquely examines the caregiver supports employed by EOL caregivers when compared to non-EOL caregivers (short-term and long-term caregivers combined). Both papers employ data from Statistics Canada's General Social Survey (GSS Cycle 21: 2007). The GSS includes three modules, where respondents were asked questions about the unpaid home care assistance that they had provided in the last 12 months to someone at EOL or with either a long-term health condition or a physical limitation. The objective of this research paper was to investigate the link between the impact of the care-giving experience and the caregiver supports received, while also examining the differences in these across EOL and non-EOL caregivers. By way of factor analysis and regression modelling, we examine differences between two types of caregivers: (i) EOL and (ii) non-EOL caregivers. The study revealed that with respect to socio-demographic characteristics, health outcomes and caregiver supports, EOL caregivers were consistently worse off. This suggests that although all non-EOL caregivers are experiencing negative impacts from their care-giving role, comparatively greater supports are needed for EOL caregivers.