A significant yet often overlooked segment of the Canadian population is facing a silent crisis of exhaustion and financial strain. According to a recent opinion piece by academics Gail Low and Gloria Gutman, Canadians in their late mid-life years—those between 55 and 64—are carrying an immense burden of paid work, unpaid caregiving, and volunteer duties, putting their own health and futures in serious jeopardy.
The Invisible Workforce: Millions of Hours of Unpaid Labour
This demographic represents one of the nation's largest but most under-recognized resources. From August 2024 to July 2025, these individuals collectively worked over 100 million hours per month in various paid occupations. Beyond their jobs, Statistics Canada estimates they contribute a staggering 552 million hours per year in formal volunteering.
The unpaid, informal caregiving load is even heavier. Across the country, baby boomers in this age group spent 1.219 million hours directly helping family members like parents or siblings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many added an extra 20 hours of caregiving to their already packed weeks.
The Tipping Point: Health, Wealth, and Wellbeing at Risk
The research indicates that a typical caregiver provides about 35 hours of care per week for more than four years. Experts warn that adding just three more hours could push them to a tipping point of anger, depression, or complete burnout. This comes at a severe personal cost.
Four in ten working caregivers worry about paying their bills, and many start their days tired and anxious. For nearly half, full-time work is not optional, and six out of ten struggle to find formal support services. The financial picture is bleak: recent surveys show this group is juggling an average of $300,000 in debt, with one in three unprepared for soaring living costs.
Caught in the Middle: Supporting Both Young and Old
The role of the "sandwich generation" is intensifying. About one in five mid-life women care for a child while more than a third provide care for an adult. Furthermore, elongated caregiving is rising as more young adult children live at home, often to save money under their parents' roofs—a demographic that holds two-thirds of household wealth in Canada.
This constant support for others comes at the expense of self-care. Research shows this group is unlikely to use community support services for themselves, and about one in four who needed health services had trouble accessing them. During the pandemic, they reported higher levels of mental distress and loneliness than older Canadians.
A Call for Recognition and Support
The authors argue that while federal funding often focuses on youth programs or raising awareness of seniors' needs, the caregivers themselves are being left behind. They conclude that these late mid-life adults are a vital national resource that is becoming depleted.
It is time, they state, to start a national conversation—to ask these Canadians about the burdens they carry, if the load is too heavy, and how they are managing. Providing care, respect, and targeted support for this generation is essential not only for their wellbeing but for the continued health of the families and communities that depend on them.
