Home care for seniors falls largely on friends, family

More than half of Canadians aged 65 and older who received home care in 2009 said they relied on family, friends and neighbours for the support, according to Statistics Canada.

In total, about one in four Canadian seniors, just over one million people, received home care such as housework and transportation that year, the federal agency said Wednesday in its Health Reports publication.

Of those who received home care, 53 per cent turned to family, friends and neighbours exclusively for the help, and that figure could be underestimated, since seniors might not have reported informal care, such as from a spouse, if it was perceived as part of usual support from family.

Read the full report from the CBC here

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/12/19/home-care-seniors.html