Sask. caregivers need compensation and home support, report says [Video]

The majority of caregivers surveyed in Saskatchewan reported experiencing financial hardship in 2023, surpassing the national average, according to newly-released data.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE) released a report showing 51 per cent of caregivers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba faced financial strain last year.

Caregivers are people who support others with disabilities or medical conditions without pay, usual family members or friends, while care providers are people who are trained and paid to provide care to those who need it.

According to Caring in Canada, caregivers in Quebec experienced the lowest rates of financial hardship and reported paying the least amount of money out-of-pocket for caregiving expenses.

Quebec is also one of only a handful of provinces with a refundable caregiver tax credit, CCCE writes.

Only 16 per cent of caregivers in Saskatchewan are taking advantage of caregiver benefits, the report says.

The data from 3,000 caregivers …