Canada’s young caregivers are taking on adult responsibilities with little support. Experts call for action as their mental health risks rise with growing care needs.
Young Caregivers Are Taking on Adult Roles Too Soon
At just 17, Najiha Rahman juggles school, exams—and caring for her mother with ALS. For over a decade, Rahman has performed tasks most teenagers never consider: lifting, feeding, and repositioning her mother. Only in recent years did she realize her caregiving role was anything but typical.
Her story is not unique. Across Canada, an estimated 1.5 million young caregivers—aged 15 to 30—are supporting loved ones with long-term illnesses or disabilities, according to the most recent Statistics Canada data from 2018. That figure omits caregivers under 15, like Rahman when she began.
Sick Systems Leave More to Young Caregivers
Since the pandemic, demands on young caregivers in Canada have intensified. Preventative care delays have led to more complex medical conditions, increasing caregiving needs at home, says sociologist Vivian Stamatopoulos.
Meanwhile, services for an aging population are falling behind. Fewer workers are staffing long-term care homes, and financial support programs like the Canada caregiver credit have been criticized as inadequate. Without systemic support, caregiving duties are trickling down to children and teenagers—often unpaid and unrecognized.
Mental Health Struggles Are Common Among Young Caregivers
Unlike adults, young caregivers are often invisible in society. Without peers going through similar challenges, many suffer in silence, experiencing isolation, academic decline, anxiety, and depression.
“These are kids carrying adult burdens,” says Stamatopoulos. “They’re a hidden population.”
Healthcare Experts Urge Early Identification of Young Caregivers
A recent Canadian Family Physician case study argues that doctors should proactively identify young caregivers when treating patients with chronic or terminal illnesses.
Lucas Perri, a co-author and former young caregiver himself, recalls feeling overwhelmed while caring for his grandfather starting at age 14. “I felt proud—but drained. I wish someone had asked how I was coping,” he said.
He believes family doctors are well-positioned to ask critical questions—about school, energy levels, and emotional well-being—to catch signs early.
All Healthcare Providers Can Support Young Caregivers
Dr. Karen Okrainec, a clinician-scientist in Toronto, emphasizes that supporting young caregivers must be a team effort. From pediatricians to specialists, all health-care providers can be trained to spot signs of caregiving stress.
She developed a toolkit for healthcare professionals to identify young caregivers and connect them to Canada-wide support resources. In her practice, she has encountered young carers as young as 10. “Some of them just break down. No one’s asked how they’re doing,” she says.
Learning from the U.K.: A Blueprint for Canadian Policy
Experts suggest Canada could learn from countries like the U.K., where young caregiver assessments are legally mandated. British youth carers can also receive direct financial aid, allowing them to hire help or buy care supplies.
Such a system would ease pressure on youth like Rahman, who continues to care for her mother without resentment—but with a quiet call for recognition.
“I don’t want pity,” she says. “But I want people to understand that this isn’t ordinary.”
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