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Caregiver burnout is, sadly, a very real phenomenon. For one maid, the stress of taking care of her 92-year-old employer and 104-year-old husband was too much to handle.
The Ministry of Manpower is investigating the matter after the 25-year-old Myanmar national suffered a nervous breakdown in early November while taking her employer for a walk, Lianhe Wanbao reported.
The maid had suddenly started crying and refused to go home, the couple’s 65-year-old son told the Chinese Evening newspaper.
Later, her brother called the police for help because he feared she would hurt himself, he said.
Police confirmed that a report was filed.
Overworked, scolded and forced to share a bed with the man, says the maid
In an interview with Lianhe Wanbao, the domestic worker, who has been working for the family since December 2019, alleged that she was forced to get up every half hour to help the elderly man use the bathroom at night.
Just a few months after she started working, he was admitted to the hospital.
Things got worse after he was discharged: she was forced to share a bed with him, he alleged.
“His family said they were worried about him falling, so they asked me to sleep in the same bed as him so it would be more convenient to take care of him,” said the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous.
“I objected, but they told me I couldn’t say no.”
[[nid:488704]]Whenever the old man had trouble going to the bathroom, ate too slowly or refused to exercise, her 33-year-old grandson would scold her, she said.
He had previously been prevented from seeking medical attention despite experiencing bleeding in his right ear and a high fever, he added.
He also alleged that he was prevented from accessing his salary, which is paid monthly by bank transfer.
The family denies the maid’s accusations
In response to the maid’s accusations, the old man’s son claimed that his son helps the maid take care of the couple.
The family understands that caring for two elderly people is not easy and even gave the maid a $ 200 raise last month, the man claimed.
Defying the maid’s version, she said that her father goes to the bathroom every two hours, instead of every 30 minutes, as she had claimed.
The family had also obtained the maid’s consent before deciding that she would share a bed with her father, she said.
Regarding the allegations that her son berated the maid, she explained: “Because my son and the maid have a language barrier, when he loses his patience he may have used a harsh tone. But he definitely does not blame the maid. .
The maid had not told her about any health problems, she said, adding: “This year, there is the Covid-19 pandemic. If she has a fever, we will also be scared. How can we prevent her from seeing a doctor?”
She also denied allegations that her family prevented her from transferring her salary, saying: “I spoke with her. We agreed to wait until her salary has accumulated before taking her to transfer the money. She accepted this at that time.”
Accused of abuse by a maid agency employee
Following the maid’s collapse in November, she was sent back to her agency.
Just two days later, the family received a call from an agency employee, the old man’s son said.
“The employee kept telling my mother that we abused the maid and scared my mother by claiming that it would be made a legal matter.”
After receiving multiple phone calls from the agency, her mother was so stressed that she was admitted to the hospital for shortness of breath, she said.
As a result, the family subsequently made another police report.
The maid agency has since apologized to the old woman, she told Lianhe Wanbao, adding that her grandson also apologized for his attitude towards the maid.
The matter is under investigation by police and MOM, the agency said, declining to comment further.
Maids who care for the elderly are often overworked: study
According to a recent study by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) and the Humanitarian Organization for the Economics of Migration, titled Neither Family nor Employee, maids who care for the elderly are often overworked.
Of the 25 maids interviewed, 21 also experienced regular interruptions in their sleep.
Commenting on the findings, Shailey Hingorani, director of research and advocacy at Aware, cautioned: “Unless we pay specific attention to the consequences of providing care for the mental and physical health of migrant domestic workers, we run the risk of compromising the quality of care provided to our elders: a scenario in which everyone loses “.
