Are you ready to provide unpaid care in the event a family member is seriously injured?

August 11, 2022, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

When someone is ill in a family it is not uncommon for other family members to take up short-term care duties. In the event of a serious personal injury from a car accident or other accident, this care can become long-term forcing the family to either modify work hours, change careers or give up work entirely to care for their loved one. In a recent American study, approximately 20% of people provide care to an adult or child with special needs. 87% provide the care for free. In Canada, Statistics Canada Estimates that 8.1 million Canadians are serving as unpaid caregivers to family or friends.

On a very short-term basis family may qualify for EI benefits as Family Caregivers but the program is restrictive and the pay-out amounts are often much lower than the salary they are meant to replace.

This all has a huge cost that is borne by the individual and their family and has been called the ‘underground economy’ of unpaid care. For those providing the care, there may seem to be no option. Either their family member has become ill and there is no financial option for care, a disabled child has been born requiring care, or a serious accident has catastrophically altered a family member’s life. Caring comes at great expense. Personal and financial security. health and even physical safety are all at risk.

When the caregiving is a result of a serious personal injury there should be funding in place from the accident benefits claim or negotiated settlement that allows for paid care. Sadly, this is often not the case as families are unaware of their rights and fail to seek the advice of a successful and experienced personal injury lawyer. Without the financial resources in place families often find themselves in situations that are far from ideal, making tough decisions about the future.

Provincial healthcare schemes provide some aid, but often fail to cover therapies, drugs, and adequate home care. This leaves private insurers (if the family has insurance) and families and friends to cover any shortfalls.
If you or a friend or loved one is seriously injured in a car accident, workplace accident, slip or fall, or any accident that is someone else’s fault then please contact one of our experienced personal injury lawyers as soon as you can. The advice and guidance from the beginning of the process mean you aren’t facing your future alone. You won’t be left guessing what insurance may pay for. We’ll guide you through the insurance process and secure the future.

When you contact us you can be sure you won’t face your future alone. We’ll be with you and we will tell you honestly what you are entitled to, what you can expect and how to get it.
At Deutschmann Personal Injury and Disability Law, we’ll give you a free initial consultation where we will lay out your options. Call us today. Don’t be left wondering ‘what if’ later on.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.