Caring for our caregivers: The power of social prescriptions

Caregivers are the invisible backbone of our healthcare systems. They contribute three times as much unpaid care for every hour of care given in the formal healthcare system. Most Canadians will give or receive care: one in four Canadians over the age of 15 is a caregiver, with as many as 5.2 million working people aged 19 to 70 taking care of a loved one for over 30 hours a week while working full-time.

Whether they are tending to an aging parent, supporting a family member with a chronic illness, or caring for a loved one with a disability, caregivers do the unpaid work that makes our system run. Canada’s caregivers contribute an estimated 5.7 billion hours of care per year; an economic value of $97.1 billion. Not surprisingly, the demands of caregiving often take a toll on physical, emotional, and mental health, and many caregivers find themselves neglecting their own wellbeing as they prioritize the needs of their loved ones. 

A survey of over 3,000 caregivers conducted in the summer of 2023 by the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE) found that while for many Canadians, caregiving is a rewarding experience, it can also negatively impact their wellbeing. Nearly half of caregivers (47%) reported feeling tired, or overwhelmed (37%) as a result of caregiving, while one in four caregivers reported fair or poor mental health. 

BENEFITS OF SOCIAL PRESCRIBING

Social prescribing initiatives in Canada and abroad have succeeded in decreasing loneliness, enhancing a sense of connectedness and belonging, and improving mental health. The Ontario Hospital Association has found that social prescription programs demonstrated improvements in anxiety, depression, health-related quality of life, mental and general wellbeing, isolation, social connectedness and self-care.

Social prescriptions can also have meaningful long-term benefits. By engaging in activities that promote self-care and stress management, caregivers can develop coping skills that can serve them well in the long run. By accessing resources that promote healthy lifestyles and self-care practices, caregivers can mitigate the risk of burnout and fatigue, ensuring their ability to sustain their caregiving role over time.

Social prescribing has also been linked to reducing healthcare visits and deepening integration between clinical care, interprofessional teams, and social supports. In fact, evidence in Canada and the UK indicates that primary care providers spend at least a third of their time on social issues that others can better address. Social prescription referrals have been shown to decrease visits to general practitioners by 28 per cent and an average reduction of 24 per cent for hospital emergency admissions. 

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