Caring for our dependent loved ones at home is already a massive task in normal days. Caring for our dependent loved ones during a pandemic can sometimes be the last straw to break the camel’s back. Caring our dependent loved ones in a pandemic that has lasted the past 2 years, I am at loss for words at what all these caregivers have been through.
Not only the fear of getting ourselves Covid, and thus unable to care for our dependent loved ones, many caregivers fear their love ones, already being high risk group for infectious disease, might one day get infected.
As a long-term care physician, I have heard many of these worries and sometimes cries for help. To be resilient in such a difficult period, sometimes, caregivers should focus on their own mental and physical well being in order to tackle the whole situation at hand.
Wellness is not something that is a given, when nothing is happening in one’s life. Wellness needs to be pursued, maintained, and practiced.
There are 7 dimensions of wellness, namely physical wellness, emotional wellness, intellectual wellness, social wellness, spiritual wellness, environmental wellness and occupational wellness.
I will be mentioning on 2 of these 7 dimensions which are affected greatly by this pandemic.
In midst of the current pandemic, social wellness has taken a big hit, due to the many social restriction policies and social distancing campaigns from many governments. With technology, smart phones, WIFI, 5Gs and many other modern services, the word ‘social distancing’ has been a terrible choice of the message given to the masses. Physical distancing and social integration should have been the focus.
Caregivers should as far as possible, maintain good social interaction through technology use, from the everyday phone calls to tele-presence robotics. ZOOM meetings has replaced many traditional company meetings, hence, Tele-gatherings should be made more available and get caregivers more involved in such tele-support groups.
Social wellness should be maintained, if not enhanced for all the caregivers during the course of this current pandemic.
The next wellness will be emotional wellness, which can be very fragile in the midst of this pandemic. There are many restrictions and caregivers are often very afraid of any quarantine orders, which will fracture the already difficult care system in place for their loved ones.
There are definitely many ways to reduce to the stress and anxiety for caregivers. Seeing a wellness coach or attending yoga sessions will be great, if time can be afforded. However, most of the time, caregivers are too busy with day-to-day requirements and the caring work that no much time is given to personal wellness practices.
Hence, new solution such as digital apps like InMIND will be interesting to patch the gap up on supporting caregivers in maintaining their wellness. InMIND can track the stress level of the caregiver just by downloading an app from the smart phone. After tracking the level of stress, using A.I. algorithm, it will recommend an in-app management plan for the caregiver to follow. In this way, caregiver can be reminded to do wellness practices daily and as and when needed. It is a digital “band aid” for stress.
Caregiving Welfare Association will be trialing such cutting-edge solution this year as well for their members.
Taking time daily to do some wellness practices not only benefit the caregivers, it will also benefit the care recipients as well. In fact, both caregiver and care recipients can be doing such wellness practices daily to maintain mental well-being in these uncertain times.
In summary, caregivers need to keep their own welfare and mental wellness in check first, being they can give proper good care to their loved ones. Without a strong emphasis of personal wellness, it will be difficult to enjoy the journey of caregiving to our very most loved ones.
Dr Tan Jit Seng
Board Member (Co-opted)
Caregiving Welfare Association
Founder and Director for Lotus Eldercare Health Services.
All information is accurate at the time of publishing.