You can actually develop what's called vicarious PTSD as a result of being exposed over long periods of time to individuals who have untreated PTSD and are very symptomatic. Family members, that can be the kids, that can be the caregivers, etc., can actually develop their own mental health issues. There's no way around that.
I know when I was still working at the B.C. Operational Stress Injury Clinic, we had a group program that attempted to address this. We had the spouses come in, and we tried to give them some tools and stuff, but it's difficult to understand and treat this disorder when you're a professional. As a layperson watching a loved one go through this, it can be quite devastating, because you personalize what's occurring and you think that it's your fault that your partner is blowing up or whatever, and it typically has nothing to do with you. It's because they've been triggered. We need better education. We need better resources available for family members and, particularly, the caregivers.
In caregiving at this level, professionals have difficulty with it, and we're expecting amateurs, lay people, to do this. I think the caregiver allowance.... If it's $4,000 a month for someone to be in a long-term care facility and we're only paying a caregiver $1,000, I think that's crazy. They need better support financially, emotionally and professionally to do this type of support.