Contributed by Raymond Anthony Fernando –
Caregiving Skill: Is it Worth the Time of Singaporeans to Pick it up?
I fully endorse the call by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) for all Singaporeans to make use of its training grants and learn about caregiving skills so that they are well positioned to take out the challenges that will surely come on-stream (“More S’poreans urged to learn caregiving skills”: The Straits Times, Saturday 21 Feb 2015).
Experience of a caregiver
Rather than be reactive, being proactive gives a person the ability to tackle issues difficult to handle; and as a former sole caregiver to my late wife who battled schizophrenia for 40 years, I can assure readers, it has huge challenges. Despite these challenges, learning caregiving skills enables caregivers to pick themselves up and move on in life.
Caregivers must be inspired and motivated, but they have to be prepared – well prepared, to travel the long and arduous journey. Otherwise, when a loved one has chronic illnesses that may include mental health issues, untrained caregivers will be groping in the dark.
The responsibility resting on the caregivers’ shoulder
Caregivers can also take up multiple caregiving tasks when more than one family member has chronic illnesses ill and badly needs support. After my wife died, I now take on multiple caregiving tasks – to my 90-year-old mother who has Parkinson’s disease and resides in a nursing home, my twin brother, his wife and son, and my sister – all of whom have chronic illnesses that require full support.
When family members do not fully understand these conditions and are not willing to share in caregiving responsibilities, the task of giving the much-needed emotional support falls flat onto an experience caregiver, and this takes a heavy toll on his/her well being – as in my current situation.
As part of their strategy to encourage caregivers to view caregiving as a noble task, the AIC should also invite resilient caregivers to share their experience with the trainees for nothing beats a hands-on experience.
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