Province ponies up $7.5M for caregivers

By Lethbridge Herald on August 9, 2025.

Anna Smith
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The government of Alberta says it is working to better care for the mental wellbeing of those who care for others, with a $7.5-million investment for continuing care workers.

“Continuing care staff show up day after day to support Albertans in some of their most vulnerable moments. With this investment, we’re making sure continuing care workers have support, too – we see you, we value you and we’re here to support you,” Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services Jason Nixon said in a statement.

The investment triples current provincial funding supports for continuing care workers, the government says, and aims to help with the mental toll that caring for Alberta’s elderly and vulnerable populations can have.

A mental health-conscious work environment results in a better workplace and quality of care, with operators seeing increased employee retention and lowered rates of absenteeism, while clients enjoy compassionate, high-quality care, said the province.

The $7.5 million will help the Care for Staff program continue to meet the wellness needs of frontline staff for two more years. Care for Staff is an initiative which aims to support the mental health of frontline staff, based on their feedback.

Supports funded through this initiative have included counselling sessions and workload management training,and have supported more than 12,000 workers.