Help informal caregivers who need rest

The context

• The father of a young boy took care of his spouse who had a severe disability.
• Needing rest, he applied for a respite resource where people would take care of his spouse for a few days.
• The application was approved but then cancelled because there were no places available.

The complaint

• The man was displeased that he could not gain access to this service even though he really needed it. What’s more, the child was reacting badly to the situation and was resentful towards his mother.
• The man complained to the Protecteur du citoyen.

What the investigation showed

There are very few respite places in the health network for families in this situation, while the community network struggles to provide special-needs services. Even before analyzing the file, the Protecteur du citoyen was well aware of this kind of problem.

The outcome

The Protecteur du citoyen contacted the family’s social worker to try to find a solution. It was agreed that a person whom the mother knew would spend two weekends at the house. This way, the father and son were able to take a few days’ vacation.

This case was taken from our 2020-2021 Annual Report.