Are Canadians (Notably Millennials) Ready To Care For Growing Senior Population?

uCarenet Unveils Survey Results & Launches New Caremap App

TORONTO, July 24, 2018 /CNW/ - Nearly 10,000 Canadians participated in a recent survey by uCarenet, the new online marketplace for in-home senior care, revealing data that suggests Canadians are facing challenges with in-home care, with very specific concerns.

"We were surprised to see a large number of responses from millennials, a sandwich generation that may be tasked with looking after both young children and ageing parents in the home," says Nectarios Charitakis, CEO and Founder of uCarenet which recently launched its mobile companion app Caremap™ - a connected community of caregivers and care seekers to give families easier access to affordable home care. "Canada is following a similar trend in the U.S. where nearly twenty-five percent of primary caregivers for seniors with dementia are millennials." With support from its partners AGE-WELL and the William Osler Health System, uCarenet's study was issued online to Canadians ranging from 22 to 65 years old.

By 2031, Statistics Canada predicts nearly one in four Canadians will be over 65, and this age group is growing. According to The Canadian Health Institute of Canada, so is the number of people living with dementia. uCarenet's study shows 56% of respondents currently care for, or expect to care for, a family member in the next three to five years. "The biggest concerns from people caring for an ageing family member is providing assistance with daily living such as meal prep, dressing, and hygiene, followed by helping them deal with loneliness or lack of companionship," adds Mr. Charitakis.

Majority of respondents say their main difficulties with helping their parent(s) age in-home is finding reliable and trustworthy caregivers, followed by their family member's reluctance to accept help. For those who are not currently (but expect to become) caregivers, concerns about absenteeism and loss of productivity is the second biggest challenge they foresee. The latter makes sense, as 52% of those respondents are employed full time. It should also be noted the majority of those surveyed (33.8%) would prefer a government subsidy to support in-home care needs versus government-funded programs, so they can customize the care required.

uCarenet launched Caremap, an app connecting Canadian families with home care providers, so those in need can remain in their home and community (which they prefer), and out of long-term care facilities. It hopes to reduce unneeded emergency room visits by replacing antiquated processes. To maximize its social impact and help Canadian families find affordable homecare uCarenet's platform is free to use. More importantly, uCarenet does not charge any referral fees or mark-up any care provider hourly rate.

"Canadian families are increasingly hiring paid companion keepers and care providers to support relatives living at home," says Professor Alex Mihailidis of University of Toronto and Scientific Director of AGE-WELL, official partner of uCarenet. "When it comes to home care, communication is paramount. The 'wellness meter' on the Caremap app enables caregivers to provide live updates to families on their family member's condition, ranging from physical wellbeing to daily activities." Caremap is free to connect caregivers with care seekers, the 'wellness meter' is a paid feature on the app, set to launch later this summer.

For more info, visit uCarenet.com, the Caremap app, Facebook, Twitter.

SOURCE uCarenet

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