Balancing work and caring for a loved one in Canada: what support from community actors?

Authors

  • Sarah Nogues
  • Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay Téluq, Université du Québec

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22230/cjnser.2016v7n2a229

Keywords:

Services communautaires, Conciliation travail-famille, Proches aidants, Théorie de la conservation des ressources, Soutien social / Community service, Work-life balance, Caregivers, Conservation of resources (COR) theory, Social support

Abstract

S’il peut être satisfaisant de prendre soin d’un proche en perte d’autonomie, le rôle de proche-aidant engendre un certain nombre de tensions et des difficultés à se maintenir en emploi. Face à cette situation, les acteurs communautaires ont été désignés comme une source de soutien importante pour les proches-aidants. Il n’existe toutefois à notre connaissance aucune étude qualitative se penchant sur la relation de soutien entre organismes communautaires et proches-aidants en emploi. Suite à notre recherche comprenant 33 entrevues semi-directives auprès de proches-aidants actifs sur le marché du travail et d’organismes communautaires québécois, menée entre septembre 2014 et juin 2015 au Québec, nous constatons deux faits majeurs : 1) les acteurs communautaires ont le potentiel de constituer une réelle ressource pour concilier emploi et soins à un proche; 2) par contre, leurs services tendent à être méconnus et difficilement accessibles par la majorité des employés proches-aidants.

However rewarding taking care of a relative can be, to be a caregiver causes multiple tensions and difficulties in remaining employed. In view of this issue, community organizations have been referred to as a great source of support for caregivers. However, to our knowledge, no qualitative study has ever focussed on the supportive relationship between the community sector and employed caregivers. Our study involved 33 semi-directive interviews with working caregivers and community organizations in Quebec between September 2014 and June 2015. It revealed two main facts: 1) community organizations have the potential to be a real source of support for work-care balance; 2) however, their services remain unknown and hard to access by the majority of employed caregivers.

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Author Biography

Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, Téluq, Université du Québec

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2017-01-25

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