Advertisement
‘Caregiver burnout is real’: the warning signs, how to prevent it and why carers need to look after themselves
- When Daniel Lim started looking after his sick parents, he felt like he had been ‘left to drown’ – and his physical and mental health suffered as a result
- Lim shares the lessons he’s learned in 15 years, and an expert in Hong Kong explains carer burnout, how to spot the warning signs and how to recover from it
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Singaporean Daniel Lim was just 30 years old when he found himself looking after his sick parents. It was 2009, and his father had just been diagnosed with dementia. Not long afterwards, his mother was diagnosed with stage 3B breast cancer.
In denial about his parents’ ill health and not knowing how to be a carer, Lim says his life slowly started to unravel.
“I am an only child, so the sense of responsibility was immense,” he says. “I felt like I’d been thrown into the deep end of a pool and left to drown. I had no support system, and there weren’t any support services for caregivers in Singapore back then. My friends didn’t understand my predicament, either.
“I’d also just started working, so financially I was stretched. My dad, a retired business owner, didn’t have much money saved, and my mum, a former nurse, didn’t have medical insurance. Practically overnight, I became my family’s sole breadwinner.”
Over the next three years, Lim’s physical and mental health suffered. He binged on junk food to cope with his emotions and became irritable and impatient. He barely slept at night and began isolating himself socially.
Looking after his parents and taking them to their medical appointments took up most of Lim’s days – and he still had to work.
Sasha writes about a variety of subjects, from health and beauty to design, architecture, food and travel. Her work has appeared in a number of publications in Asia, including Wine & Dine, The Peak, SilverKris and Her World Singapore. She has been writing regularly for the South China Morning Post since 2011.
Advertisement