Policy Challenges: The Caregiver/Care Receiver Relationship

The purpose of this discussion paper is to explore the policy challenges and opportunities embedded in the caregiver/care receiver relationship.  The paper describes several core drivers that have helped make caregiving a more prominent policy issue in recent years.  It next examines the unique challenges and opportunities rooted in the caregiver/care receiver relationship.  These are discussed with respect to the major components of the policy process: key issues, desired objectives, identified targets, selected interventions, financing, and monitoring and assessment.  The final section considers potential strategies – related to intra-jurisdictional, inter-jurisdictional and multisectoral alignment – that would help enhance these advantages and address the policy challenges.

This paper is the text of a presentation delivered at the International Conference on Caregiving held in Toronto in June 11 as part of the Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology.  While this paper focused on the policy implications of the caregiving/care receiver relationship, the other panelists spoke about the issue from service and research perspectives.

ISBN – 1-55382-537-3