The Straits Times

With little to no training and limited support, caregivers often have to manage complex care needs while coping with their own physical limitations and emotional strain. This burden increases the caregiver’s own risk of injury, including falls that can trigger a second crisis in an already fragile household. What begins as a single incident can quickly escalate into a household crisis in which an independent couple suddenly find themselves vulnerable.

She had started attending a falls prevention programme when she slipped and fell outside her bathroom. Chiao fractured her hip, remained using a wheelchair for weeks and her daily routines crashed to a halt.

Among other things, she and her husband, 89-year-old Yee, stopped attending the programme. In his case, it was because he needed to be around her and care for her while she recovered from her injury. This almost led to a second accident.

One day, when he was rushing home to be with his wife, Yee lost control of his bicycle and fell. Luckily, he suffered only minor bruises. Otherwise, with no children and barely any family support, who would have cared for this elderly couple?

Read the full article by CARE's Research Fellow Goh Jing Wen and Senior Research Associate Tan Kok Yang here.