Young Caregivers Are Providing Basic Needs for Their Parents and Siblings

Send us Fan MailYoung caregivers are an invisible and little known support for family members who need day to day help for basic needs. They provide personal care like grooming, helping with medication, getting dressed and feeding. But a growing number of children, as young as five and up to the age of 25, are taking on more responsibility for their siblings and parents because of situations like chronic illness, physical and intellectual disabilities, mental health and substance use.  It’s estimated that 1 and a quarter Canadians between the age of 15 and 25 are caring for a family member. They’re under a tremendous amount of stress and often don’t have an outlet.Young Caregivers is an organization dedicated to supporting these young people and their familiesChrissy Sadowski is Interim Executive Director.