“My husband had been diagnosed with mild dementia in early 2020. It really pains my heart when I see my husband, who had always been a capable gentleman and retired teacher, gradually lose his mobility and memory.
As a man who took pride in his independence and values dignity, it was also difficult to get him to accept physical help at the start. Nevertheless, I was eventually able to encourage him to ease into a day care, which allowed me to cope better.
However, a year later, age caught up with me as I experienced frequent chronic pain in my knees, shoulders, back and fingers. I was not able to cope with housework on top of caring for my husband, whose functions declined further with frequent urine overflows on the bed. The frequent cleaning stressed me out and disrupted my sleep, and I knew I needed to seek further help. Thankfully, I signed myself up for three caregiver support groups to support my husband’s care, and also signed myself up for three caregiver support groups organised by GoodLife!, to learn more about how to manage my husband’s dementia care needs, and also my own stress levels. I also make it a priority to go for daily morning exercises, to take care of my own health, in order to be able to support my husband for the longer haul. While the caregiving journey ahead remains uncertain for me as his dementia progresses, I choose to take things a step at a time, and appreciate that God has given us this life to make every moment count.”
– Dorothy, 76, Caregiver for Mr Kang (husband), 83, who has dementia