More caregivers seeking help in Singapore amid rising stress, low quality of life
Since last year, for example, the Caregiving Welfare Association (CWA) has seen the number of clients under its home care programme – which aims to help seniors age in place and reduce caregiver burden – rise from 60 to about 200.
Still, support groups say more can be done to help caregivers.
This is especially as they have a lower quality of life compared to non-caregivers in all fields, according to the Ministry of Social and Family Development's latest family trends report released last week.
Significantly, the largest gap between caregivers and non-caregivers – 60.3 per cent versus 64.6 per cent – was in the environment domain, which involves issues such as 'access to social services' and finances'.
Caregivers scored lower in the social relationships and physical domains as well.
The report also showed a 6-percentage point difference in caregivers' satisfaction with family support, with just half scoring satisfactory.
MANY STILL HOLDING BACK
CWA said while there are more caregiver grants and financial assistance available, many caregivers are holding back.
'Many caregivers we find are still unaware of the help available, or sometimes they may even hesitate to ask for help due to stigma or a sense of duty. So in a cultural sense, it usually falls under filial piety, so they don't really see themselves or identify themselves as caregivers,' said the charity's marketing and donor management executive Sharlene Ferry.
'So definitely, in this area, awareness and also public education is very important.'
She added that many also fail to identify themselves as caregivers, as they merely think they are looking after their loved ones without realising they are performing complex caregiving work.
One of the biggest challenges faced by those caring for seniors is burnout, Ms Ferry pointed out, with many belonging to the sandwiched generation. They also feel isolated as they are forced to put their social lives on the backburner, she added.
For example, a client of CWA was a 78-year-old retiree caring for his wife.
'His days were often actually very quiet, so he fell into isolation … and he had a lingering sense of uncertainty, because as a senior, he did not have the same energy that he once had, and he was unable to care properly for his spouse,' said Ms Ferry.
The client ended up joining a support group at CWA to improve his emotional wellbeing.
'Support groups are a safe and supportive space where they can actually come together to actually share their experiences and also engage in different types of sessions, such as art therapy or mindfulness-based sessions,' Ms Ferry noted.
MORE RESPITE CARE, EMERGENCY PLANNING
Meanwhile, TOUCH Community Services told CNA it believes more respite care and emergency planning can improve caregivers' quality of life by offering them more rest opportunities and less anxiety.
The charity also operates a care hotline and has seen a 20 per cent jump in caregivers calling in for help.
'We've got a lot more corporates coming to us requesting caregiver talks. As corporates, they have their own pool of employees, and they do realise that employees are also facing certain caregiving issues,' said Ms June Sim, group head of TOUCH Caregivers Support.
Apart from spending time caring with their loved ones, caregivers have to foot medical bills and other expenses. Some have to quit their jobs or switch to part-time work to be there, Ms Sim added.
She said that while government and organisational support is essential, help from the community is also important, with a simple message or meet-up going a long way in reducing caregivers' stress and loneliness.
Despite the challenges, the social service agencies said caregiving can be meaningful.
Ms Ferry said she has heard from caregivers in CWA's programmes that they have grown closer to their loved ones and 'discovered certain strengths that they didn't know they had'.
'I definitely believe that with the right tools and the right support, these caregivers can actually find moments of connection or even joy through this caregiving journey,' she added.
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