Research by Dr. Michelle Lafrance will amplify voices of caregivers in New Brunswick

Dr. Michelle Lafrance is taking a closer look at how New Brunswick caregivers are managing within the current healthcare system.

This research, which garnered $59, 769 in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, was inspired by her previous work on women’s’ experiences of depression.

“So many of the women I spoke with talked about the stressors around caregiving that I wanted to explore this piece in more depth,” Lafrance said. “Caregiving is critically important work that is often an invisible and taken-for-granted part of people’s lives.”

 

Caregivers—individuals who provide unpaid care to family members, neighbors, and friends—make up a large portion of those who provide care work in Canada. Dr. Lafrance plans to focus her research on those providing care to older adults within two distinct facets of the population: language (French and English) and geographical location (urban and rural).

 

“My aim is to amplify the voices of those who are doing the work of providing care for older adults in the province, so we can better attend to their needs and struggles,” Lafrance said.

 

“I’m hoping that the research will have tangible implications for policy and practice in the province.”

 

The funding from the SSHRC will allow Lafrance to hire and train students and conduct interviews across the province in French and English, which will allow for a better understanding of the landscape of caregiving within New Brunswick.