Photo by Juan Manuel Montejano Lopez
The global devastation of Covid revealed startling issues with how modern care is provided. As society recovers, post-pandemic caregiving should reorient itself to fill in the gaps.
Nearly three years have passed since the pandemic caught the world by surprise. Now the light from the horizon is becoming visible, and recovery is finally on the table. For three years, society had to manage with less after decades of more. Debates over capacity limits have raged from the beginning of the pandemic and are still raging. Students lost two years of physical schooling. Large swathes of small businesses had to close down. The whole of society had to reimagine itself and how many of its systems were deeply flawed and in need of fixing. Look at how the vast majority of national healthcare systems dealt with the early stages of the pandemic.
Much of the healthcare systems globally were pushed to the brink, with some collapsing entirely. Countless lives perished as a result of this inadequacy. The toll placed upon nurses, doctors, and other health professionals is immeasurable. And for caregivers worldwide, the darkness still looms. The past three years have taught society how crucial care is—but that lesson does not come without cost. There is a lot to be learned and should be understood about the devastation that Covid caused. Now, as society heads towards recovery, the new landscape of post-pandemic caregiving must be one where the lessons of Covid are deeply embedded into the fabric of every society.
How Covid struck Caregiving
Though the pandemic may fade in time, caregiving will not. Society must re-envision how caregiving is perceived and reform how caregivers are treated and supported. Not everyone has the strength or desire to be a caregiver, and those who are can hold up the world on their shoulders. Most first-time caregivers are untrained and unprepared. Most are family members pushed into the role because of an ailing relative and circumstances beyond their control. Many caregivers are ordinary people, and many are forced to juggle two roles: one as a breadwinner and one as a 24/7 nanny.
Change might be an ever-present constant for a caregiver, but when the pandemic struck, that was too much change for anyone to handle, let alone a caregiver.
Covid compounded a lot of problems that caregivers were already dealing with:
- Limited access to equipment: the lack of priority considerations at the height of the pandemic dumbfounded many.
- Lack of institutional guidance: the conflicting recommendations during the initial period of covid resulted in significant losses.
- Untreated mental stress: the psychological strain of being a 24/7 caretaker worsened during the lockdowns.
- Scarcity of support networks: the absence of local systems for mutual support exacerbated many issues due to isolation.
What Needs to Be Done
As Eleanor Gacetta puts it in her memoir One Caregiver’s Journey, “There are times when the isolation of being a caregiver sends you outdoors and makes you think you’ve gone bonkers.” A support system is one of the most crucial things caregivers need that the community or the larger society should provide. But individually, caretakers should learn to:
- Have breathing time: Do not jump into it immediately. Take the time to plan and reflect.
- Take care of personal needs: Caretakers provide care not just for others but also for themselves.
- Ask for help from others: No one should be alone, especially when caring for others.
- Set boundaries: There should be an understanding (if possible) between the caregiver and the person receiving the care.
Being a caregiver is a noble aspiration, whether taken willingly or not, and it is a disservice that much is lacking in providing them aid and support. Although Covid and its effects will stay for years to come, it has also revealed that many systems are still in need of improvement. Caregivers found themselves at a disadvantage solely from the isolation of the pandemic. The assistance put into place through social media and national associations should provide relief should there be another pandemic.
