The 2026 Perspectives on Growing Older in Canada report tracks weaker retirement confidence, not separate job losses for long-distance caregivers. A long-distance caregiver lives an hour or more away and must use wider caregiver surveys to estimate work and savings effects.
Perspectives on Growing Older in Canada is the National Institute on Ageing's annual survey of ageing in Canada. For dementia families, distance adds travel, urgent trips, and paid local help. That makes the general retirement squeeze directly relevant to care at a distance.
Medical information disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a physician or other qualified health professional about symptoms, medications, tests, or treatment decisions.
Table of Contents
- What the Canadian survey measured
- How paid work and savings shrink
- Why distance raises the bill
- Steps that protect income at a distance
What the Canadian survey measured
The survey included 6,001 Canadians age 50 and older surveyed in June-July 2025. The National Institute on Ageing released results in January 2026 in the NIA media release.
Among non-retired respondents, the share able to afford retirement at the desired time fell from 35% in 2022 to 29% in 2025. The share unable to afford it rose from 37% to 43%, according to Insurance Business Magazine in Insurance Business reporting on the survey. The report does not break these shifts down by caregiver status or miles from the care recipient.
How paid work and savings shrink
The AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving put the 2025 total at about 63 million in AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving report. About half of employed caregivers reported late arrivals, early departures, time off, or other work impacts. Nearly half reported at least one negative financial effect in the same survey.
About one-third stopped saving, 24% used up short-term savings, and 13% drew on long-term or retirement savings. AARP's separate Hidden Cost analysis estimates working caregivers lose an average of $120,500 in lifetime income from reduced paid work. A journal review cites the MetLife Mature Market Institute study of 1,112 adults age 50 and older with a living parent. It estimated $303,880 in lost wages, pension, and Social Security benefits for leaving work to provide parent care.
Why distance raises the bill
The U.S. National Institute on Aging defines a long-distance caregiver as living an hour or more away. AARP data cited in a 2026 guide puts long-distance spending at $11,295 per year. That is nearly twice nearby caregivers, according to the AvenoraCall Team in 2026 long-distance caregiving guide.
A Looop Team research roundup notes about 11% of adult caregivers live an hour or more away. Work and savings effects are still reported for all caregivers combined. The $303,880 figure rests on 2008-2012 Health and Retirement Study data, which predates current dementia care and travel costs. For dementia, distance often means crisis trips, missed shifts, and paying a local aide. Those costs land on the same paycheck and retirement account already squeezed in the Canadian survey.
Steps that protect income at a distance
Distance caregivers cannot change the survey trends, but they can limit work damage. Start by treating care hours, travel, and coverage gaps as work risks to manage. Keep one page with hours missed, travel and care dollars spent, and savings changes to show an employer or adviser.
- Ask about remote days, split shifts, or leave for planned care trips.
- Name one local contact who can attend appointments and report back.
- Keep retirement saving on autopilot at a lower rate rather than stopping.
- Log missed hours, travel spending, and savings changes in one place.
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