Who cares for the carers? Third killing this year raises alarm in Hong Kong
After man thought to have killed elderly mother before his own attempted suicide, scrutiny falls on government policy and oversubscribed services
On a good night, Mrs Yu, 70, can get about three full hours of sleep.
That’s if her husband, 75, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2007, manages to get through the night without soiling himself or crying in pain from backache.
“I can only sleep at about 3am and must wake up around 5am or 6am,” she said. “You’re tired but you just can’t sleep. He’s hungry, his back might hurt, you need to turn him around to massage him. Before you know it, it’s time for his breakfast.”
But he doesn’t eat like normal people, she sighs. He can take up to two hours to eat, and needs to be fed. “He’ll eat and cry. For a carer like me, it’s really painful to hear that,” she said.
“It’s a lot – a lot – of pressure. No one can imagine.”
To calm her nerves, she takes showers. If that fails, she turns to her antidepressants.