Delivered by Ingenta IP : 83.142.52.97 On: Sat, 26 Sep 2020 18:03:41 Copyright The Policy Press 141 International Journal of Care and Caring • vol 4 • no 2 • 141–166 • © Policy Press 2020 Print ISSN 2397-8821 • Online ISSN 2397-883X • https://doi.org/10.1332/239788220X15845551975572 Accepted for publication 18 March 2020 • First published online 13 April 2020 article The cost of caring: out-of-pocket expenditures and financial hardship among Canadian carers Karen A. Duncan 1 , karen.duncan@umanitoba.ca Shahin Shooshtari, shahin.shooshtari@umanitoba.ca Kerstin Roger, kerstin.roger@umanitoba.ca University of Manitoba, Canada Janet Fast, jfast@ualberta.ca University of Alberta, Canada Jing Han, Jing.Han@umanitoba.ca University of Manitoba, Canada Many carers spend money out of their own pockets on the care-related needs of their family members or friends, and this spending may expose carers to a higher risk of fnancial hardship. Using data from a nationally representative sample of family carers drawn from Statistics Canada’s 2012 General Social Survey on Caregiving and Care Receiving, we fnd that nearly one in fve carers reports experiencing fnancial hardship. The results from multivariate logistic regression analysis show that care-related out-of-pocket expenditures are signifcant predictors of fnancial hardship. The results suggest establishing personal fnancial planning strategies and public policies to minimise the risk of incurring fnancial hardship due to care-related out-of-pocket expenditures. Key words care-related out-of-pocket expenditures • fnancial hardship • fnancial stress To cite this article: Duncan, K.A., Shooshtari, S., Roger, K., Fast, J. and Han, J. (2020) The cost of caring: out-of-pocket expenditures and fnancial hardship among Canadian carers, 4(2): 141–166, International Journal of Care and Caring, DOI: 10.1332/239788220X15845551975572 Introduction Providing care to a family member or friend in need due to disability, a long-term health condition or ageing-related frailty is a responsibility that many Canadians willingly assume. Data from the 2012 General Social Survey (GSS) show that 8.1 million Canadians aged 15 years or older were caregivers in 2012 and that this number is growing (Sinha, 2013).As rates of disability increase and population ageing continues, the need for family caregivers, or carers, will increase.This increase means that more Canadians will be balancing care responsibilities with other aspects of their