NORTH BAY -- A new study from Statistics Canada, The Experiences and Needs of Older Caregivers in Canada, finds almost one-quarter of Canadian seniors are caregivers.

In North Bay, this is especially relevant. Over at the Golden Age Club, a good portion of members are caregivers for their loved one.

Peter Baranow is a caregiver for his mother and does everything from helping pay bills to just spending time with her.

"(I help her with) her banking, her bills, her apartment. The list goes on and on,” said Baranow.

Baranow is the office manager for the club and said many of the club members are caregivers as well.

The study finds 1.8 million of the 7.8 million caregivers in the country were aged 65 or older in 2018 and that about one-third of senior caregivers provided care for their spouse.

"Right now, I’m a caregiver for a family member and her husband," said Theresa Tasse, a caregiver and club member. "I was a caregiver for my late husband for many years. He was able to stay at home and get the kind of care he was comfortable with."

Tasse’s husband passed away two years ago.

The study finds senior women are more likely to help with medical treatment and provide personal care while senior more men would help out with house maintenance and yard work.

Baranow said since the club has a lot of younger seniors, they step into the caregiving role.

"A lot of our members are younger seniors," said Baranow. "We start basically at (age) 50 and up. So, you’ll find a lot of those younger seniors looking after the older seniors."

Baranow said being a senior caregiver takes a lot of patience and recommends other caregivers seek de-stressing services. He said there are support classes at the club, for example.

"At the club, we do have a few sessions called 'Grief Support' for those that need the support. We do have some support classes for health issues," Baranow said.

The study also finds over half of senior caregivers would like financial support to assist them in caring for their loved one.