Struggles of ageing caregivers

This post came out from The Sunday Times (11 October 2015)

In Singapore's ageing society, caring for an elderly loved one may become a reality for many people. But what happens when the caregivers themselves are getting older and more frail themselves?

Longer lives mean many people have to cope with the problems of ageing not just in their charges, but also in themselves.

Ageing caregivers have their own health concerns, such as chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, and worry about their future medical needs, says Ms Wang Jing, senior manager of counselling and coaching at Tsao Foundation's Hua Mei Centre for Successful Ageing.

They may also have little strength to help their charges in daily activities, such as transferring them from beds to wheelchairs. Caregivers may not be aware of the challenges they face.

Their responsibilities are 24/7, says Ms Wang. "They may not get enough rest as they need to be alert all the time, even during the night, if the care recipient needs the washroom or a cup of water."

Mr Kelvin Lim, chief of the social care division at the Agency for Integrated Care, says many caregivers see their duties as "a natural extension of their relationship", such as if they are the wife or the son. "Sometimes they're not aware that their role is quite extensive as a nurse, personal assistant and someone who handles the finances. They tend to focus their energy on their loved one's well being at the expense of themselves," he says, adding that one challenge is that caregivers can become isolated socially.

There are many caregivers who would rather not receive help, eldercare providers say. "We have a certain level of resilience in our community," says Mr Kelvin Lee, manager at Touch Caregivers Support. "People generally want to provide care on their own, sometimes to the point of resisting help or thinking that the assistance can be given to others with more needs."

To lighten the load of caregivers, Touch has asked neighbours to help one another and provides training for more complicated aspects of care, such as changing urine catheters and inserting feeding tubes.

When caregivers are properly trained,they are less stressed and more able to enjoy the presence of their wards. After all, "the quality of care is directly related to the caregiver's health and well being", Mr Lee says.

For information and support relating to caregiving, call:
Singapore Silver Line: 1800 650 6060
Hua Mei Centre for Successful Ageing (Tsao Foundation): 6593 950
CareLine by Touch Caregivers Support: 6804 6555
AWWA Caregiver Service, Caregivers Infoline: 1800 299 2992

Thoughts:

1. I think the post is striking, we have been talking about ageing, but the sick and their caregivers are the unsung group. This post looks at how challenging caregiving for the elderly by the elderly is, and yet people are resilient which can make it difficult to provide further support for them. 

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

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