Brenda Lenahan says the birth of her son, Cole, nearly 12 years ago changed her world completely.
“It’s been quite the experience, quite the massive change in my life, from … everything that came before him, as it is for most parents,” she said.
“But sort of possibly more so.”
Lenahan, who lives in Tahsis, a village of about 400 people on Vancouver Island’s west coast, says Cole was born with a neurodevelopmental condition and has some health complications.
But while caregiving has its challenges, Lenahan — who is also the executive director of the B.C. Complex Kids Society — says the problems lie with the caregiving system.
“Our kids, they’re not the burden,” she said.
“The problem is that the system just isn’t supporting us.”
Brenda Lenahan is pictured with her son, Cole. She says challenges caregivers face are due to systems, including supports not keeping pace with demand. (Submitted by Brenda Lenahan)
That system and its challenges are reflected in a new report from the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE), which found that caregivers in the country are at a crisis point, facing immense financial, physical, and emotional strain.
Conducted between August to October 2025, the report surveyed 2,262 caregivers — people who aren’t paid to provide support to loved ones who need it due to physical, intellectual or developmental disabilities, medical or mental health conditions, or aging-related needs — as well as 309 trained and paid care providers, and 89 people who are both.
It found that more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of caregivers surveyed in Canada have experienced negative impacts on their well-being. The figures are the same for B.C.
It also found that in B.C. specifically, nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of caregivers surveyed report feeling overwhelmed or anxious, while nearly one-fifth (18 per cent) report experiencing depression.
Financially, nearly half (49 per cent) of Canadian caregivers surveyed say they’re struggling. In B.C., it’s more than half (65 per cent) — with one in five saying they spend more than $1,000 out-of-pocket monthly on caregiving expenses.
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“Caregivers are caught in a vicious cycle of needing to work more to meet the financial demands of care,” the report reads, “while simultaneously needing to work less to meet the time demands of care.”
Liv Mendelsohn, executive director at the CCCE, calls the situation “a perfect storm.”
“We have three-quarters of unpaid family and friend caregivers saying that they’re in distress, and 20 per cent of caregivers saying they’re not sure if they can go on,” she said.
“At the same time as we have the paid workforce of personal support workers and home health aides — three-quarters of them are saying they’re considering leaving the field.”
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A new report from B.C.’s seniors’ advocate says the need for long-term care beds in the province has gone from a shortfall to a crisis. Wendy Johnstone from Family Caregivers of B.C. says caregiving has fallen onto family members as a result, and that they need more support.
The report also found that B.C. caregivers are accessing public home care at nearly half the rate (eight per cent) as the rest of Canada (14 per cent), and more than half (62 per cent) say they do not feel supported by the government.
Meanwhile, 73 per cent of care providers surveyed across the country say they’ve considered leaving the profession.
According to B.C.’s Ministry of Health, the volume of home-support services delivered across the province has increased by 28 per cent between 2016 and 2025, and the number of clients served has also increased by 23 per cent. It also says 2,324 new home-health workers were hired between 2020 and 2025.
The ministry adds that attendance in adult day programs — which it says provide a place for older adults to stay active and social, and offer caregivers a break — has grown between the same 2016-2025 period, in terms of the number of participants (21 per cent) and days attended (19 per cent).
But advocates say that public supports have not kept pace with demand.
“We know that you can only carry so much by yourself. And that’s where our home support system and our programs are supposed to kick in,” said Barb MacLean, executive director of the Family Caregivers of B.C.
She adds that caregivers who are also employed are feeling the brunt of the situation.
The report found that 65 per cent of caregivers in B.C. are working, while 15 per cent are unemployed and 20 per cent are retired.
“People are stretched beyond belief,” MacLean said. “They end up giving up their work. They often turn down promotions and they’re digging out of their pockets.”
Lenahan says families want to see what she calls “care support” as well as financial support.
“So child care, nursing, respite, access to support workers — those pieces that enable the ability to work,” she said.
“But they also [offer] enough support so that you can actually take care of yourself as well … [as] your own physical and emotional well-being.”
According to the report, B.C. caregivers want improved access to home-care services (85 per cent), respite services and free counselling and other mental-health supports (79 per cent each).
They also want affordable paid care and a monthly caregiving allowance (80 per cent each), and simplified and expanded access to the Disability Tax Credit and benefits (78 per cent).
Brenda Lenahan, executive director of the B.C. Complex Kids Society, is pictured here with her son, Cole. Lenahan and other advocates say caregivers want financial as well as other types of supports, like child care and greater access to support workers. (Submitted by Brenda Lenahan)
The Ministry of Health did not respond to specific questions from CBC News about caregivers’ concerns, but in a statement on Friday, it said caregivers are integral to the province’s health-care system and described them as “key supports” enabling the growing number of seniors to continue living at home.
It also said it continues to invest in seniors and community care.
Mendelsohn says the situation is dire for Canadian families from coast to coast to coast, and things need to change as more people age. The report notes that the majority of caregivers in the country are looking after parents (43 per cent), and that the majority of care recipients are age 65 and above (67 per cent).
“It’s one in four people who is doing this care work,” Mendelsohn said.
“It’s going to be half of all of us in the next 10 years.”