Have you ever laid awake at night worried about your own care needs or those of someone else? If so, you have a lot in common with paid care staff, family caregivers and seniors who attended a recent event on the International Day of Older Persons.
Almost everyone at the event spoke to the additional work they were doing in the face of inadequate public services in Alberta. Those who rely on care described jumping through hoops to try to access services, with long waitlists for appropriate care.
Family caregivers also talked about additional work to “pick up slack” when home care doesn’t show up or when paid staff in facilities are stretched thin. These days, it seems like a dominant policy assumption that those who need care will have a daughter to do it. It’s too bad we don’t all have kids!
Paid care staff also told stories about “picking up the slack” – coming in early, staying late or working through their breaks, with staffing shortages, and with narrow definitions of what kind of “care” they can offer.
Those who rely on care, those who provide care, and those who have concerns about their future care needs, have a lot in common. It’s worth getting together to discuss.
Janna Klostermann is a Montgomery resident. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary Department of Sociology. Janna is the author of – At the Limits of Care: Gendered Work and Stories that Matter!
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