Bringing you Caregiving Stories from the CaregiverAsia Community

Being a caregiver requires endless amounts of energy, empathy and patience. Caregiving is a time-consuming undertaking that can easily lead to burnout.

If you’re caring for a loved one, it’s important to be aware of the challenges caregivers face, so that you’re able to address them if you need to. Taking care of others means taking care of yourself.

Thomas’ mother, who lives with Alzheimer’s Disease, gave him had a rude shock one morning. When he awoke at 3 am and came out for a drink, he found his mother wandering around the dark kitchen in her nightgown. When quizzed on what she was doing, all she did was smile and say hello, while being unable to explain her bewildering action.

Professionals regularly exposed to the traumatic experiences of the people they service, such as healthcare, emergency and community service workers, are particularly susceptible to developing Compassion Fatigue. This can impact standards of patient care, relationships with colleagues, or lead to more serious mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety or depression.”