Mothers of disabled children juggle work schedules: StatsCan
26.09.2008 23:02
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
The parents of three out of five children with disabilities said their added responsibilities affected employment, and it was mothers who overwhelmingly said they adjusted their hours, Statistics Canada reported Thursday of a 2006 survey. When parents were asked whose employment was most affected, 64 per cent of the time it was the mother's. In 25 per cent of cases, both parents said they adjusted their hours, while fathers said they did eight per cent of the time. Other family members adjusted their paid work in three per cent of cases. About 38 per cent of parents said they worked fewer hours, and another 36 per cent of survey participants said they adjusted their work schedules to accommodate children whose everyday activities are limited because of a health-related condition or problem. "Flexible work schedules or options to telework are helpful for parents who need to care for their child and at the same time continue working," the report said. During the 2006 survey, about 200,000 Canadian families said they were coping with the challenges of caring for a child with disabilities. Families stressedThe severity of a child's disability largely determined the challenge to families, the report said. The trend occurred in many aspects of the parents' lives, such as employment, finances, leisure, personal time and the ability to find help and child care. Most parents said they were satisfied with the type of child care they currently had, but 21 per cent said a child-care service had refused to provide care for their child. Half of parents reported sometimes or always feeling they had less personal time because of the responsibilities of their disabled children. About 45 per cent also said their daily stress ranged from quite a bit to extremely stressful, and 26 per cent reported their child's health condition as the main source of stress. About one in four parents received help in balancing daily activities, most often to squeeze in some personal time, attend to family responsibilities or get chores done. The most recent participation and activity limitation survey took place between November 2006 and February 2007. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksHEALTH: Special needs childrenInvisible face of learning disabilities costly to Canada: reportOne-quarter of disabled kids not getting special education: StatsCanMothers of chronically ill children report poorer healthExternal LinksParticipation and Activity Limitation Survey 2006, Statistics Canada(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window) Health HeadlinesCanada's fertility rate at 10-year high: StatsCanCanada's fertility rate reached a 10-year high in 2006, when women aged 30 to 34 had more babies than women aged 25 to 29 for the first time, Statistics Canada said Friday.Website reports cases of C. difficile in Ont. hospitals Ontario hospitals had 319 cases of C. difficile last month, the province's first hospital-generated report on the infections showed Friday.Adding mirror to stroke therapy speeds recovery: studyPeople who have a stroke seem to recover faster when they use a mirror to create the illusion that their paralyzed limb is moving alongside a healthy one, a Japanese researcher said Friday.Coffee products, baby cereals pulled in U.S., Hong Kong for melamine fearsU.S. and Hong Kong health authorities issued recalls Friday for more products, including coffee and baby crackers, because they may be contaminated with the industrial compound melamine.World leaders pledge nearly $3B to eradicate malariaWorld leaders and the heads of philanthropic organizations gathered at the United Nations Thursday to pledge nearly $3 billion US to fight malaria in a plan that aims to eradicate the disease by 2015. Health FeaturesHEALTHMultiple sclerosisHigh rates in Canada and around the worldIN DEPTHSafetyText messaging becomes a road hazardHEALTHPain pillsPros and cons of three popular pain relieversHEALTHExerciseFitness boot camps: Cross-training pulls in recruitsMEDICAL RESEARCHBrain banksCrucial for research, clamouring for donorsHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosZorba the obesePeople who read this also read …
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