PROFESSOR Chong Siow Ann's article on the plight of caregivers of dementia sufferers is helpful ("Witness to loss and death at a glacial pace"; last Saturday).
Worldwide, some 44 million people are afflicted with dementia, and the figure is set to double by 2030 and treble by 2050.
Singapore is not exempted from this "tsunami". One in 10 people here aged 60 and above has dementia, according to a study by Prof Chong and his team.
But caregivers are also "victims" of dementia, and the emotional and psychological toll is great. This is especially so, given that dementia patients do not respond well to drugs, and they suffer not only the loss of memory but also the loss of reasoning, emotional control and the ability to carry out normal activities. This is compounded by disorientation in time and space, leading to frustration and confusion.
Sufferers may also present changes in personality, with some becoming aggressive, while some others may lose inhibitions in behaviour and cause much dismay to family members.
My late mother had vascular dementia, and my mother-in-law suffers from Alzheimer's. My dad, who died last year, sustained acute loss of memory some 40 years ago, after a stroke, but, thankfully, he recovered substantially from treatment. In the last few years of his life, I suspect that he had lapses of memory, and his behaviour at times was unbecoming and caused much stress.
I was not only a family caregiver but also the principal medical caregiver.
Dementia may first present itself not just with memory loss. Sufferers may exhibit paranoia, claiming that others are trying to hurt them or are stealing their belongings. Some are disturbed by hallucinations, and complain of seeing "things" other people do not.
Caregivers in a household may end up misunderstanding one another, and those with full-time jobs and their own medical problems may not be able to contribute to caregiving in the same manner. On top of that, there is the financial burden, which may also add to family conflict, coupled with the feeling of guilt of not doing enough.
I find the quote by Professor Arthur Kleinman in the article very helpful. He sees caregiving as a "defining moral practice... of empathetic imagination, responsibility, witnessing and solidarity with those in great need".
Amid the frustration, sadness and even anger, we need, as caregivers, to continue to empathise, to be selfless and to love even those who are no longer able to return our care and concern, not because they will not, but often because they cannot.
I am very concerned that not enough is being done to help caregivers cope and continue to fulfil their roles.
There has been some positive development in our healthcare and social service systems, but with regard to caregivers, much more can be done.
Otherwise, we may become afflicted with burnout and psychological and psychiatric problems, as well as face conflict and breakdown in families, whose members find it too hard to continue caring for their loved ones.
Quek Koh Choon (Dr)
Worldwide, some 44 million people are afflicted with dementia, and the figure is set to double by 2030 and treble by 2050.
Singapore is not exempted from this "tsunami". One in 10 people here aged 60 and above has dementia, according to a study by Prof Chong and his team.
But caregivers are also "victims" of dementia, and the emotional and psychological toll is great. This is especially so, given that dementia patients do not respond well to drugs, and they suffer not only the loss of memory but also the loss of reasoning, emotional control and the ability to carry out normal activities. This is compounded by disorientation in time and space, leading to frustration and confusion.
Sufferers may also present changes in personality, with some becoming aggressive, while some others may lose inhibitions in behaviour and cause much dismay to family members.
My late mother had vascular dementia, and my mother-in-law suffers from Alzheimer's. My dad, who died last year, sustained acute loss of memory some 40 years ago, after a stroke, but, thankfully, he recovered substantially from treatment. In the last few years of his life, I suspect that he had lapses of memory, and his behaviour at times was unbecoming and caused much stress.
I was not only a family caregiver but also the principal medical caregiver.
Dementia may first present itself not just with memory loss. Sufferers may exhibit paranoia, claiming that others are trying to hurt them or are stealing their belongings. Some are disturbed by hallucinations, and complain of seeing "things" other people do not.
Caregivers in a household may end up misunderstanding one another, and those with full-time jobs and their own medical problems may not be able to contribute to caregiving in the same manner. On top of that, there is the financial burden, which may also add to family conflict, coupled with the feeling of guilt of not doing enough.
I find the quote by Professor Arthur Kleinman in the article very helpful. He sees caregiving as a "defining moral practice... of empathetic imagination, responsibility, witnessing and solidarity with those in great need".
Amid the frustration, sadness and even anger, we need, as caregivers, to continue to empathise, to be selfless and to love even those who are no longer able to return our care and concern, not because they will not, but often because they cannot.
I am very concerned that not enough is being done to help caregivers cope and continue to fulfil their roles.
There has been some positive development in our healthcare and social service systems, but with regard to caregivers, much more can be done.
Otherwise, we may become afflicted with burnout and psychological and psychiatric problems, as well as face conflict and breakdown in families, whose members find it too hard to continue caring for their loved ones.
Quek Koh Choon (Dr)
