Inside the mental health struggles of caregivers

Caring for a loved one who is ill is a journey of love and dedication and one that is fraught with emotional, psychological, physical and financial complexities.

- Joyce Teo

Here, three individuals share their stories about the realities of caregiving.

He is caregiver to mum living with diabetic complications In early 2025, Mr Sufyan Tsuri, 36, quit his job as a therapy assistant at the National Kidney Foundation to care for his mother, 71, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

It was not a quick decision, as he thought hard about whether he should continue to work while his mother's health was quickly deteriorating. In 2024, she was hospitalized four times for various issues, including kidney damage and foot problems, with the longest stay lasting from December to February 2025.

"Her condition was getting harder to manage," he said. "She lacks the initiative to take care of herself and keeps giving in to food temptations."

Caring for her full time means he can buy or cook healthier meals for her, make sure she takes her medication, and help her with daily needs, such as moving her from the wheelchair to the bed.

His mother was diagnosed with diabetes in 2011, and by 2022, lost her left eye because of complications.

"We worry that she will lose her (remaining) eyesight," he said.

Mr Sufyan's father, 67, who has an administrative role in a construction firm and is now the family's main breadwinner, helps out with her care. He also has a sister, 32.

Mr Sufyan himself has health issues, beginning in polytechnic when he grappled with feeling ostracized by the dragon boat team, which he trained with four days a week. Though he finally quit the team, he felt guilty about his decision. By 18, feeling overwhelmed by life, he had suicidal thoughts.

Somehow, he pushed through and eventually graduated from university with a degree in sports science. It led to a seven-year stint as a fitness trainer for national service recruits in basic military training.