Informal Caregiving

(Note: Informal caregiving consists of providing care or assistance to without getting paid for doing so. This includes time spent giving personal care to an elderly relative, helping elderly neighbours with their shopping, and so on.)

Seniors Provide Informal Caregiving to Other Seniors

According to the 2006 Census, informal caregivers who provided care or assistance to seniors were more likely to be female. Nearly one in four (24.4%) females aged 45 years and over provided some unpaid care or assistance, compared to 18.3% of males.

Females aged 45 to 64 years were most likely to provide informal caregiving to seniors, with 26.9% of females in this age group reporting they provided some care, compared to 19.2% of males in the same age group.

Seniors also provide some informal caregiving to other seniors. In 2006, 17.3% of those aged 65 years or older reported providing some unpaid care or assistance. However, informal caregivers were more likely to be younger, with 23.0% of Albertans aged 45 to 64 years providing some hours of care or assistance to seniors.