Transcript Live-In Caregivers in Rural and Small City Alberta

“You’ve Got Nowhere to Go”:
Live-in caregivers
in Rural & Small City Alberta
Dr Denise L. Spitzer
Canada Research Chair in Gender,
Migration & Health
University of Ottawa
Acknowledgements
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Interviewers
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Advisory Committee
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Tatjana Alvadj-Koreni, Lucenia Ortiz-Marquez. Caridad
Bernardino, Ivon Pereira
Rashmi Joshee, Leticia Cables, Lucenia Ortiz-Marquez,
Kevin Essar, Kathy Galloway, Noreen Berkes
Thanks to
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Prairie Centre of Excellence in Research in Immigration
and Integration, Lena Bengstton & Canada Research
Chair Program
Sample
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1 man 38 women
38 Philippines 1 India
Average age 37
14 Vocational School, 25 College/University
19 Married, 18 Single, 2 Other
18 with children
23 from rural areas, 11 urban
Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP)
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Care for children, infirm or elderly
Working/living with employers
Work 24 out of 36 months
Possibility of becoming permanent
residents
Research Project
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Interviews and Focus Groups
Surveys (N=100)
Focus Group with Policymakers (May
2006)
Findings:
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Charriott: My first employers, I know they were
supposed—like, they have to bring you to where you will
be spending your weekend, but they didn’t.
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Saty: It’s very beautiful here, but it’s just you become
homesick because it’s not like Hong Kong where it’s
joyful because there are a lot you there who are
together and every time you go walking you can talk to a
Filipino or Filipina. But here, after one week or even
three days, you won’t be able to talk to anyone.
Findings:
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Indy: While we are taking care of those little
people, we miss big people while they’re busy at
their work. That is very stressful for me.
Whenever I work for them, I feel attached. I get
attached to the children, and in the evening when
their Mom and Dad come and I realize, oh my
God, they’ve gone back to their parents. And the
emptiness you feel. Because the whole day you
give them all your love and affection and in the
evening all of a sudden, you’re nobody.
Difficulty changing jobs
Conclusion
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Some similar problems as other LCP
workers, but more intense
Specific problems of isolation, lack of
access to social support, problems
accessing services, difficulty finding new
jobs, being Othered in small communities