Introduction
Would you have the courage to stand at the entrance of a grocery store, a small box in hand, asking passersby for money? That’s the extreme measure Geneviève Coutu had to resort to. Not for herself, but for Louis, her husband. Suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and having passed away last fall at age 56, he was able to stay at home until his last breath thanks to her. But at what cost? After exhausting her savings and teetering on the brink of financial ruin, this Sorel-Tracy resident is now fighting a crucial battle: to have the invisible work of family caregivers recognized with a real salary.
Love Doesn’t Pay the Bills
For five years, Geneviève was Louis’s arms, legs, and memory. Starting in 2021, the situation took a turn for the worse: her husband “became like a child again,” unable to walk or eat on his own. For Geneviève, placing him in a long-term care facility was unthinkable as long as she was still able to stand on her own two feet. So she quit her job.
The problem? Employment insurance only supported her for about 40 weeks. After that? A financial void. Despite a small disability pension and some in-home care, the bills kept piling up. That’s when she had to appeal to the public’s generosity, both in person and on TikTok, sharing an unvarnished look at her daily life. An embarrassing step, she admits, but necessary to keep the love of her life from being placed in a long-term care facility.
$40,000 versus $118,000: the math is easy
Today, Geneviève asks a troubling question: Will the government continue to rely on families for free? She proposes a quantified solution: a net weekly salary of $800 for caregivers, or about $40,000 per year.
Does that seem like a lot? Let’s look at the Auditor General’s figures. A spot in a public long-term care facility costs $118,000 a year, of which $98,000 comes directly from the government’s coffers. By keeping their loved ones at home, caregivers save the community colossal sums of money.
And time is of the essence. The Institute for Socioeconomic Research and Information (IRIS) warns that, as the population ages, long-term care costs could triple by 2050, reaching $25.6 billion. Geneviève sums up the situation simply: without caregivers, we’d have to build thousands of long-term care facilities… without having the staff to run them.
Quebec and Ottawa Have Their Backs Against the Wall
Her campaign is starting to gain traction. Geneviève has launched two petitions. The first, addressed to Quebec, has gathered more than 7,000 signatures. The second, aimed at the federal government with more than 13,000 supporters, is sponsored by Bloc Québécois MP Louis Plamondon. In particular, she is asking Ottawa to extend employment insurance benefits, which are currently limited to 15 weeks for a sick adult (compared to 35 weeks for a child).
Things are also moving on the Quebec government side. Minister Sonia Bélanger is set to unveil her new home care support policy this Thursday. Loriane Estienne, of Proche aidance Québec, sees this as a golden opportunity to finally make a serious investment. “My husband’s illness won’t have been in vain,” Geneviève hopes. In Quebec, 1.5 million family caregivers are waiting to see if their message has been heard.
Caregivers: Her Fight for a Salary After Spending Her Life Savings on Her Husband
This content was created with the help of AI.
