There are 920,000 disabled people, and more than 20% of caregivers lack replacement hands. Working alone can easily lead to physical and mental exhaustion.

The number of disabled people in my country is as high as 920,000, and there are an estimated 180,000 family caregivers in the country. However, more than 20% of caregivers lack caregivers and can only "work alone." Xiaomei, who has cared for her mother with dementia for more than 10 years, said that she had insisted "I can definitely do it" and was unwilling to seek external help until a car accident completely changed her mind. After using home and respite service resources, it not only reduced the care burden, but also allowed her to slowly regain her own life.

Xiaomei (pseudonym), 62, said that her mother suffered from dementia a few years ago. After her father passed away, she had no choice but to quit her job and take on all the care responsibilities because her sister was also ill. Later, due to long-term support, she suffered from severe body aches and insomnia. Fortunately, with the company of doctors and home care specialist Liao Wanting, she began to use home and respite service resources and slowly regained her life.

Please read on...

Xiaomei mentioned that because she had no job and no foreign aid to take care of, she even ended up in the dilemma of "two people eating one lunch" with her mother. With the help of home services, the situation gradually improved. There was also a car accident. Her first worry was "Who will take care of her mother?" But the home services immediately put her at ease. At least there was help at noon and evening, and her sister was asked to assist in the morning and middle of the night.

Family care specialist and social worker Liao Wanting said that most of the meticulous and very disciplined caregivers like Xiaomei have a strong sense of responsibility and persistence, so it is difficult to believe that outside professionals can take good care of their mothers. Xiaomei once said that she is like a little child. Mom also provides assistance, but she feels very sorry for the caregivers who know all about the needs and preferences of the care recipients, but forget that they themselves also need to be taken care of. She hopes that caregivers can also think more about themselves and take good care of themselves while taking care of others.

Chen Weiping, chairman of the Family Caregiver Care Association of the Republic of China, said that according to the statistics on calls from the "0800-50-7272 Family Caregiver Care Hotline" in 2025, as many as 24.4% of the caregivers who called for the first time and met the "high-load family caregiver preliminary screening indicators" had "no care substitutes." In practice, it is often encountered that caregivers are responsible for long-term care and are afraid to hand it over.

Chen Weiping mentioned that family caregivers are unable to entrust caregiving tasks to others. On the one hand, it is the pressure of "filial duty" that people often hear. On the other hand, caregivers have also encountered caregivers who are highly dependent on family caregivers. They even have the idea of ​​​​"I raised you. I am sick, and you have to take care of me."

However, Chen Weiping emphasized that as civil groups and the government mobilize resources and provide family caregivers with more choices, seeking help from external "divine teammates" does not mean abandoning the person being cared for, but completing the task with another more comprehensive and complete care. It also reduces the care burden on the family and leaves time for family members to "love" instead of turning against each other in the long-term care process with no end in sight.