Plain language definition
Number of hours that the person spent providing care or assistance to elderly people without getting paid for doing so. This includes time spent giving personal care to an elderly relative, helping elderly neighbours with their shopping, and so on. The time spent on this activity is divided into blocks of hours (None, Less than 5 hours, 5 to 9 hours, 10 to 19 hours, and 20 hours or more). Only hours spent on the activity during the week before Census Day (May 7 to 13, 2006) are counted.
Detailed definition
Refers to the number of hours persons spent providing unpaid care or assistance to seniors of one's own household, to other senior family members outside the household, and to friends or neighbours in the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to Census Day (May 16, 2006).
Unpaid care or assistance to seniors does not include volunteer work for a non-profit organization, religious organization, charity or community group, or work without pay in the operation of a family farm, business or professional practice.
Unpaid care or assistance to seniors does not include volunteer work for a non-profit organization, religious organization, charity or community group, or work without pay in the operation of a family farm, business or professional practice.
Values (English)
Total - Hours spent providing unpaid care or assistance to seniors
No hours of unpaid care or assistance to seniors
Less than 5 hours of unpaid care or assistance to seniors
5 to 9 hours of unpaid care or assistance to seniors
10 to 19 hours of unpaid care or assistance to seniors
20 hours or more of unpaid care or assistance to seniors