Document Tools

More compassion needed—that’s the conclusion of a four-year study of Canada’s Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB) program coauthored by Simon Fraser University researcher Valorie Crooks.

The CCB program is designed to assist individuals and family caregivers who deal with the terminally ill, but it doesn’t go far enough to recognize the challenges family caregivers face, says Crooks, a geography assistant professor specializing in medical issues.

The study calls for increases to financial assistance and the length of the support period in certain cases, as well as an extension of paid leave after death to include time for bereavement.

Researchers say such changes would better reflect the real costs and challenges of the palliative process.

“Without improving the CCB program, many Canadian family caregivers will remain at risk of experiencing high levels of caregiver strain, characterized by the financial, physical and emotional burdens associated with working and providing care to family members,” says Crooks.

The study also recommends scrapping the two-week unpaid leave waiting period and extending the benefit to the self-employed, including stay-at-home parents.

The CCB program was launched in 2004 as part of the federal Employment Insurance program.

For the complete study visit: http://at.sfu.ca/AdEutZ.

-30-

Comments