Family caregivers – those who care for adult family members living with mental illness – who receive the support they need can make a big difference in the life of their ill relative. Adequate support can help alleviate some of the stressors that often come with caring for an ill adult relative. When such supports are not there, it can jeopardize both their capacity to provide care and the caregivers own health and well-being. The unpaid care and support they provide is a major contribution to the health and social service system, and would cost considerably if it had to be replaced with paid formal services. This report describes the needs and major concerns of family caregivers. It also makes recommendations for support services and policies to better support the caregiving they provide and lessen the associated challenges. It also proposes an evidence-informed, comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of family caregivers.
The guidelines were developing using a three-part process that included a literature review, input from family caregivers, persons living with mental illness, and service providers, and suggestions from the Family Caregivers Advisory Committee, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and key stakeholders in different mental health areas.
EENet developed a Research Report Round-up of this report. You can read this Research Report Round-up on the EENet website.
Research Report Round-ups are brief summaries of research reports, presented in a user-friendly format. To read EENet’s clear language report summaries, visit the EENet website.