Greetings all and I’m Scott Savoy at the Sterling Creations desk.
I am pleased to share our President’s editorial for this week and Donna J. Jodhan wants to share her concerns re the Care Givers crisis.
What do you think?
Please share your thoughts with Donna at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.
Enjoy your weekend.
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The Care Givers Crisis
There is a quiet crisis unfolding behind closed doors, in living rooms turned into workplaces and bedrooms turned into care units. It’s the caregivers’ crisis—one shaped by unclear expectations, emotional labor, low pay, and a constant tug-of-war between professional duty and personal survival.
Caregivers are the backbone of home-based care. They support seniors, people with disabilities, and those recovering from illness—often allowing patients to remain in their homes instead of institutions. Yet despite how essential this work is, one fundamental problem keeps resurfacing: no one seems to agree on what caregivers are actually responsible for.
What exactly are the duties of a caregiver?
At its core, caregiving is about personal care and support. This typically includes assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, mobility, medication reminders, meal preparation related to the patient, light housekeeping connected to the patient’s care, and emotional companionship.
But somewhere along the way, the role often expands—quietly, informally, and without renegotiation.
Suddenly, caregivers are not just caring for a person. They’re maintaining an entire household.
Are caregivers responsible for cleaning—and how much?
This is where the lines blur the most.
“Light housekeeping” is a common phrase in job descriptions, but it’s notoriously vague. Does it mean wiping down surfaces used during care? Washing dishes used for patient meals? Or does it mean scrubbing floors, dusting shelves, and deep-cleaning bathrooms?
In many cases, caregivers find themselves doing far more than what was implied—because the need is there, because the patient can’t do it, or because saying “no” feels heartless.
But there’s a critical distinction that often gets ignored:
Care-related cleaning is not the same as household maintenance.
Cleaning up after patient care—yes.
Maintaining an entire home—no.
What about shared spaces like bathrooms?
If a caregiver and patient share a bathroom, it’s reasonable for the caregiver to clean up after their own use. But should they be responsible for scrubbing the bathroom regularly, especially when it serves the entire household?
That crosses into the territory of a housekeeper, not a caregiver.
Caregivers are hired for care, not for janitorial services—yet many are expected to absorb both roles without additional pay, time, or recognition.
Appliances and utilities used by caregivers themselves
If a caregiver uses the microwave, kettle, or stove to prepare their own food, common courtesy applies: clean what you use. That’s basic.
But expecting caregivers to routinely clean appliances, manage utilities, or maintain spaces unrelated to patient care again raises the same issue—role creep. These tasks may seem small individually, but collectively they add to workload, fatigue, and resentment.
Emergencies and calling in sick
Caregivers are human. They get sick. Their children get sick. Cars break down. Life happens—sometimes with no warning at all.
Ideally, caregivers should give as much notice as possible when they can’t come in. But emergencies, by definition, don’t always allow for advance notice.
The unspoken expectation that caregivers must somehow predict crises—or feel guilty for having them—reveals a deeper problem: caregivers are often treated as if they are supposed to be endlessly available, even at the expense of their own well-being.
How many caregivers put patients ahead of themselves?
Too many.
Caregivers regularly work through illness, exhaustion, and personal stress because they worry about leaving a vulnerable person without support. They form bonds. They feel responsible. They care—sometimes to their own detriment.
This emotional labor is invisible, unpaid, and rarely acknowledged.
And when caregivers burn out, the system loses experienced, compassionate workers—deepening the crisis even further.
So what’s the solution?
There is no single fix, but there are viable steps forward.
1. Clear, written boundaries
Care plans and job descriptions must clearly define duties—especially around cleaning and household tasks. If additional work is required, it should be discussed, agreed upon, and compensated.
2. Respect for the role
Caregivers are skilled professionals, not “helpers who do everything.” Treating them as such improves retention, morale, and quality of care.
3. Backup systems
Agencies and families should plan for emergencies with backup caregivers instead of relying on guilt or pressure.
4. Fair pay for expanded duties
If caregiving roles expand to include housekeeping, the pay should reflect that reality.
5. A cultural shift
We need to stop seeing caregiving as limitless, self-sacrificing labor and start recognizing it as essential work done by real people with real lives.
The bottom line
The caregivers’ crisis isn’t about laziness or lack of dedication—it’s about unclear expectations, emotional exploitation, and systemic undervaluing of care work.
Caregivers don’t just need gratitude.
They need clarity, boundaries, support, and respect.
Because when caregivers are cared for, everyone benefits.
I’d like to leave you with this for your consideration.
A caregiver sits close by, calm and attentive, offering both help and companionship. They move with quiet patience, adjusting blankets or guiding a spoon, making sure their patient is comfortable and cared for. The patient, bed-ridden or seated for a meal, is met with gentle conversation—soft smiles, shared stories, small moments of warmth. The scene feels unhurried and human: care given not just through actions, but through presence, dignity, and genuine connection.
Image = A smiling nurse in light blue scrubs with a stethoscope and ID badge gently holds the arm of an elderly woman with curly gray hair wearing a gray cardigan and light blue blouse, as they share a warm, caring look in a bright indoor setting.
To learn more about me as an award winning sight loss coach and advocate visit http://www.donnajodhan.com