The Challenges of Caregiving
Inner Wheel Club of Subang Selangor
18 Sep 2023
To be alienated and abandoned is the worst thing to happen in old age. And if this is the consequence of one’s behavior when young, then it could have been avoided. Relationships and family are precious things that should always be valued and cherished.
IWCSS’s member Shoba had to garner IWCSS’s support for one of her previous clients who suddenly found herself being the sole caregiver for her sick mother. Her 78-year-old mother who had suffered a stroke was housed in a friend’s home in Taman Meranti, Puchong after her discharge from University hospital. The client was not in a position to support her mother as she herself relied on her children for financial support.
The children had very little empathy for the grandmother as she was never there for them in times of their need. But out of a sense of duty, they provided 200 RM for her care. The client’s siblings have abandoned their mother and the whole responsibility has fallen on the client. She is in the process of seeking extra financial support from a church. The church also provides much-needed moral and spiritual support.
The client has been resourceful in getting a medical bed and mattress for her mother and fortunately for her, all the necessary medications are available from the nearby KKM. IWCSS has never been able to turn away people seeking urgent help. But the club has learned its lesson well after being repeatedly pursued for financial support by people they have reached out to help.
For this lady, IWCSS will take care of some basic provisions of rice, milk powder, cereal and diapers for a period of two months. The hope is that the church and other organizations that the client has approached will take over after that period. Shoba personally took care of the delivery by visiting them. She was taken aback by the frugal and messy environment that the sick lady calls her home now. It is a hard decision to place a parent in such conditions but when as a caregiver one does not have the means or support, the choices left are far and few.
~ Rajani Vidyasagar