Nearly 100 hours a week for some HK carers: study

A recent study suggests that some Hong Kong carers spend nearly 1.5 times longer than the average working week caring for their loved ones.

The Council of Social Service polled some 700 carers earlier this year, and it found that the middle-aged non-working carers spend an average 96 hours a week caring for the elderly or the disabled.

This compares to local workers averaging a 40-hour work week, according to government figures.

At a press conference organised by the Council, one woman, surnamed Lau, spoke of the hardship involved in caring for her 17-year-old son, who’s mentally challenged.

She said she sometimes feels helpless and stressed out because he needs constant attention, and she averages 110 hours a week caring for him.

She said her son has trouble sleeping, eating and cleaning himself, and sometimes throws objects out of the window.

“My son doesn’t sleep well. He wakes up during the night even with medication. So he wakes me up, and I may not be able to sleep after he does (it) again,” Lau told reporters.

“So I get about four, five hours sleep a night, on and off.”

She said if she needs to drop her son off to a daycare centre, she needs to book at least a month in advance.

The council said Lau’s story is similar to many other carers that they polled.

More than 40-percent of carers it interviewed say they’re the only one in the role.

If they have to take a break or something urgent crops up, nearly half of the carers said they need to arrange two days or two weeks in advance.

“We find that middle-aged carers are under great stress, particularly because they find difficulty taking a break, mentally or physically or mentally,” said Raymond Lai, a director from the Council.

He said this was alarming, and called on society to address the issue.

The council recommended that the authorities set up a 24-hour hotline and a one-stop website with the latest information about support services for carers.

It also said the government should look at employing domestic helpers for the carers, so that they can take a break.