HOW CAN WE SEE INVISIBLE CARE? Dr. Tamara Daly, CIHR Research Chair in Gender, Work & Health Associate Professor, School of Health Policy & Management York University, Toronto 1

How do we see invisible care? Invisible care work is provided by students, relatives and friends, privately paid companions, volunteers, and finally by paid care workers who fill gaps in the care needs. We need more staff to provide good quality care How do we see invisible care in the literature, policy and practice spaces? How do we see the tensions and promise of a reliance on invisible care? 2

How do we see invisible care? Literature: care work studies of facility care focus on paid work Policy: with exceptions, invisible care work is unregulated, undocumented and not counted in comparison with paid work Praxis: although facilities rely on this invisible care, it is not recognized for its importance as an overarching work organization model 3

Teaching Model Promise: youth and others looking for new work are exposed to and possibly attracted to work in LTC Tensions: extra "hands" available to provide care is unlike the reality of work in LTC 4

Familial Model Promise: strong family councils Tensions: staff feelings of surveillance; family members' feelings of burnout and stress 5

Paid Companions Promise: residents get one-on-one attention, can attend some additional activities and go outside more often Tensions: surveillance of staff; interruption of work flow 6

Volunteer Model Promise: this model builds on community capacity; helpful where there are language and cultural specificities Tensions: attracting, retaining and rewarding volunteers is full- time work 7

Staff "Volunteer" Model Promise: ?? Tensions: staff burnout and absenteeism 8

Concluding Thoughts The informal and often unpaid work performed by students, volunteers, relatives, paid companions and staff exists in different configurations in different homes irrespective of country. By spending time in facilities it is increasingly clear that the invisible labour is essential to under-staffed facilities Homes adopt one main form of invisible labour to supplement their paid care work organization. Without higher staffing... critical to care 9

References Art from Gustav Vigeland, Erica McGilchrist, Franz Wilhelm Seiwert Research supported by the Canadian Institute for Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council 10