Caregiving isn't an easy job. You'll be handling different kinds of patients with different kinds of illnesses and different kinds of personalities and behavior.
In my few years of working as a Caregiver, I could say that it is so exhausting. As a Caregiver we need to have empathy and compassion towards our patients, we need to be responsible and reliable, we need to have long patience, and of course flexible as we aren't only taking care of our patients, but also do some small house chores like cooking for our patient's meal, washing their clothes, preparing their bed, etc.
As a Caregiver, we need to be strong and healthy as our job involved assisting our patients, especially those who can't do their activities of daily living alone. We need to assist our patients who can't walk, stand or sit alone and assist them in eating, bathing, defecating, urinating, and even brushing their teeth. Sometimes, our work involved lifting, pushing, and carrying stuff.
There are times that we need to handle our patient's agitation and reassure them. Most of the time, agitation and aggression happen for a reason. So as a Caregiver, we need to find the cause and reassure them to stop the patient's misbehavior.
Sometimes, we encounter patients going back to/her childish behavior. And when it happens, we need to be a child as well. We play with them, talk with them, shared stories with them, and sometimes, escape from things thrown by them.
Our job can be overwhelming and rewarding, especially if we're over our heads or have control over the situation. But this job also involves many stressors. And since it is a long-term challenge, the emotional impact can build up over time. It's really disheartening when there's no hope for our patients to get better, and when their condition is gradually deteriorating.
We, Caregivers, take good care of other people but we can't even take care of our family. It's really depressing when you have a family member who is sick yet we are away taking care of another patient. I guess this is the sad part of our life and other healthcare professionals.
The pain of the past is still in my mind. I felt so guilty about my grandfather's death. He was sick at that time but I can't even take care of him as I was busy taking care of another patient. One day, I received a call from my cousin saying that our grandfather passed away. I froze from my post and a feeling of guilt formed inside me. Tears gradually fell, lucky that my patient was on the bed at that time, or it might trigger her agitation.
I sat down in the corner and contemplate the past and asked myself - "If I had taken care of him, will he live longer?" I went home later that day and can't even look directly at his dead body. It took me a long time to accept that it was his fate. That he died because of his severe illness. That it wasn't my fault.
That memory is still painful, which carved a scar in my heart and my mind.
And now I am here abroad doing the same things. Away from home and family and can't look after them if they're sick. I just relied on my family members who will look after our sick loved ones.
My work is depressing, but I'm trying my best to fight against depression as it might consume my whole life. I don't want to die abroad. I still want to go home, be with my family, celebrate occasions with them, and play with my niece and nephews, and I want to take care of my parents once they get old.
I don't want to experience that painful memory from the past again.
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You have a very noble job and I admire you for that.