We refer to the report “Number of younger caregivers on rise” (April 8) that mentioned the importance of building a caregiver support network and preventing caregiver burnout.
Caring for a loved one who has a disability or an illness is often a protracted journey and can be emotionally and physically stressful.
Many caregivers experience a gamut of emotions, ranging from stress, depression, frustration, helplessness and guilt, just to name a few. They may have to make significant changes to their routines and even quit their job.
Many also have their own health issues to deal with. The daily care-giving tasks can also cause physical strain such as backaches, interrupted sleep and chronic fatigue.
Some caregivers may feel guilty when they make time for themselves and consequently put off their own needs.
However, caregivers need to give themselves credit for their contributions and be reminded to do so. They need to recognise that it is difficult to provide care to another person when one is physically exhausted or emotionally drained.
Therefore, it is crucial that caregivers take care of their own health and well-being, so they are able to continue caring for their loved ones.
As the family is the first line of support for persons who need care, voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) are progressing from being client-centric to family-centric to empower the family system to support persons with disabilities or those with illnesses. There are various avenues of support that caregivers could turn to.
More VWOs are running caregiver support groups, conducting training and talks and organising activities, so caregivers can provide mutual support to one another, share their experiences and learn caregiving skills.
A government initiative, the Centre-Based Weekend Respite Care service provides respite care for caregivers of adults or senior persons with physical and cognitive disabilities, providing them the option to take time off their caregiving duties on weekends. Caregivers of the elderly or persons with disabilities may also apply for the Caregivers Training Grant to attend training courses.
Besides being involved in centre-based caregiver programmes, some caregivers form their own network to discuss issues and to help one another out.
More needs to be done to facilitate this kind of development of mutual support among fellow caregivers, as VWOs and centre-based programmes are unlikely to be able to replicate such close-knit support.
It is also important to build support within the immediate community, for example, with relatives, friends and neighbours, as these are the people most well-placed to stand by the caregiver in times of emergency and respond promptly with help.
