Aging Society: Robin Smith

Last Decade Dept: Canada's Live-In Caregiver Program admits temporary foreign workers to care for children, seniors or people with disabilities, ultimately opening the door to permanent residency, according to Montreal Gazette. The number of caregivers admitted to Canada has climbed over the last decade, from 2,685 in 2000 to 12,885 in 2008. There's been a slight dip in recent years due to changes in the program and more scrutiny of job offers, but the most up-to-date information suggests the program was on track to bring approximately 10,000 people to Canada last year and demand for foreigners to work as live-in caregivers for seniors in Canada is growing, but while some see the program as a potential answer to the needs of a rapidly aging society, others say it's rife with problems and inherently exploitative. "It's becoming busier all the time because it is a very viable alternative for seniors. They can stay in their own home, they don't have to go into a facility and it's less expensive," said Robin Smith, owner of Pacific Live-In Caregivers, a placement agency in Ladysmith. As reported in the news.
@t montreal gazette, live in caregivers