HONG KONG (SE): The Caritas Jockey Club Resource and Support Centre for Carers called on family members and caregivers of the elderly to be aware of available support services to facilitate a timely response to unexpected changes in service arrangements during the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) pandemic.
The centre received around 800 inquiries from caregivers of the elderly from January to August, which was three times higher than the number of inquiries last year.
At a press conference on September 10, the centre pointed out that 65 per cent of the callers sought community support to ease their burdens of caring for the elderly at home.
Nearly 20 per cent of the callers said they were under pressure and are suffering from emotional problems. Among them, 55 per cent were caregivers of those elderly suffering from dementia or depression.
Liu Yiu-kwan, a social worker from the centre, said many made inquiries this year due to the suspension of community services they had been using. The callers felt helpless, as they did not kanow of other available alternatives. Other problems found included stress caused by overwork and lack of skills for caring for an elderly person.
Yuen Man-yan, social work supervisor of the centre, said caregivers need to update themselves about other the caregiving services available around them to make it easier to find help when necessary. She believes it is also important to discuss different plans with the elderly person in advance. She said the centre organised regular workshops on how to take care of the elderly and published a handbook about the importance better preparation for caregivers.
During the press conference, Miss Mak recounted that her mother was diagnosed with dementia two years ago. She then suffered a stroke last October and lost her ability to swallow. Afterwards, Mak’s mother lived in a home for the aged. As a daughter, she needed to learn how to take care of a bedridden patient. Since then, she faced heavy pressure and she encouraged caregivers to seek help at an early to prevent health problems caused by stress.
She felt sad that she could not visit her mother during the pandemic or help her with any treatments. She thought her mother had missed her timely rehabilitation treatments, but she could do nothing about her deteriorating health.
However, Miss Mak said she is grateful to the centre for referring different services to her which saved her the time of making unnecessary inquiries.
On the other hand, Mr. Choi said the activities in the centre gave him a platform to relieve his stress. He shared that his father-in-law, aged 87, suffered from chronic obstructive lung disease and he must use a breathing machine. He is now under the care of a foreign domestic worker but she wanted to take some holidays after her contract ends even though she cannot go back to the Philippines. While the day care services of the Social Welfare Department are suspended, the responsibility of caring for the old parent will fall to him and his wife.
His 81-year-old mother-in-law suffered from dementia and is now in an elderly care centre. He is also sad that he cannot visit her now and that her physiotherapy services are suspended.
