Caregivers’ Journey to Recharge, Rebuild and Reconnect

Yaman grew up in Mainland China and met her ex-husband through a family referral a few years ago. After giving birth to her son, who has special care needs, she often faced conflicts with her husband. This eventually escalated into domestic violence, leading Yaman to make the difficult decision to divorce and become a single mother. Besides caring for her son, she also looks after her father, who suffers from cognitive impairment. The demanding responsibilities and lack of support took a toll on her mental health, often resulting in emotional struggles and conflicts in her caregiving journey.

Recognising the challenges caregivers face due to insufficient support, the Chest funds various services to caregivers provided by different member agencies. One initiative is the “Pilot Project of Resilience Building and Subjective Experience Intervention for Carers” provided by the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong. This program offers high-quality, affordable psychological counseling services to different types of caregivers through a professional team. The goal is to alleviate caregiving-related stress and enhance resilience.

Yaman is one of the beneficiaries of this program and embarked on a three-phase journey of emotional rebuilding. The first phase is to give the caregivers a channel for emotional expression. Through counseling and attentive listening, caregivers are provided with an outlet for their emotions. Yaman shared, “Counseling gave me a space to share the hardships of caring for my father and son.” She expressed gratitude to the counselor, who patiently listened to her story and made her feel being understood. This support enabled her to recognise the importance of caring for herself while looking after others.

The second phase is to help the caregivers to give priority to their personal needs. Due to her upbringing and caregiving role, Yaman tended to overlook her own life and feelings. The counselor helped her realise that her thoughts and emotions mattered and reminded her that her caregiving capacity is limited. As long as she does her best, she should not feel guilty or blame herself.

The final phase involves helping caregivers reintegrate into the community. Yaman remarked, “Now, I’ve learned to allocate time for myself. Sharing experiences with others in similar situations allows us to support each other and move forward positively, even when faced with life’s challenges.”

This transformative journey highlights the vital role of the Chest’s funding in empowering caregivers to rebuild their emotional well-being and to face the future with renewed strength.