PETALING JAYA: Caregiving requires more than mastering physical tasks, with patience, empathy and the ability to understand older people being just as important, says former staff nurse and experienced caregiver Faezah Ali.
Drawing on years of caring for older people, including those with dementia and mental health conditions, she believes caregivers must first understand and look after their own physical, mental, social, financial and spiritual well-being.
“If you don’t understand yourself, how can you properly care for someone else? Caregivers must learn to look after themselves too,” said Faezah, who manages Pertubuhan Kebajikan Pusat Jagaan Sri Mesra, also known as Mesra Home, in Ampang.
She said caregivers who neglected their own well-being risked becoming overwhelmed by the demands of the job, affecting both themselves and those in their care.“If the caregiver is not well, how can the person being cared for be well? We must take care of the caregivers too,” she said.
Faezah, a palliative nurse, said training must go beyond theory to equip caregivers with practical skills and the ability to respond to different needs.
“Knowing the theory is not enough. You must know how to put it into practice,” she said, adding that caregivers needed to understand how to communicate with older people, particularly those with cognitive or mental health conditions.
At Mesra Home, she uses various approaches to engage residents, including singing and activities that encourage them to communicate and participate.
She also conducts workshops to share her experience and has developed 12 modules on elderly care.
For Faezah, caregiving is not simply a job but a profession that demands continuous learning, sincerity and patience.
“Training more caregivers is a good step, but trainers must have real experience and know how to teach people to apply what they learn in practice, rather than just understand the theory,” she said.
Faezah, who writes about her experiences caring for older people, has recently completed her fourth book. She hopes her writing will raise greater awareness on the challenges caregivers face.
“I hope more people will understand what caregivers do and appreciate the work we put in. There is so much responsibility involved in caring for another person,” she said.
