Mother's Day is More Than Carnations: Social Welfare Groups Call for Recognition of Caregivers' Heavy Burden
On Mother's Day, social welfare organizations urge attention to the heavy burden of caregivers, particularly mothers, highlighting their health and mental challenges through case studies. They emphasize the need for support, including for vegetative patients and early intervention for intellectually disabled children, and appeal for donations to sustain these critical services.
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- 📰 Published: May 10, 2026 at 13:10
- 🔍 Collected: May 10, 2026 at 13:31 (21 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 10, 2026 at 14:07 (35 min after Collected)
Central News
(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chieh-ling, Taipei 10th) Today is Mother's Day. Social welfare groups appeal that on this day full of gratitude, they also hope to see the plight of caregivers. Some mothers help their children grow through early intervention, while elderly women have long shouldered the heavy burden of caring for relatives. They hope the public will transform their concern into practical actions.
The Genesis Social Welfare Foundation recently stated in a press release that among their service cases, over 60% of caregivers are women. A survey on family caregiver stress also found that 25% of caregivers simultaneously need to care for young children or have more than two long-term care recipients at home. Nearly 50% of these caregivers require regular medication or have health problems, even experiencing chronic pain, sleep deprivation, or severe emotional stress.
Under the expectation of motherhood as caregiving, most women often neglect their health or choose to silently put aside their own needs, simply out of the belief that they want to take good care of their family. 71-year-old Grandma Gao is a mother who has long borne the family burden alone. Her son became a vegetative person more than 20 years ago due to a car accident. Since then, she has single-handedly taken on all care responsibilities, from turning him over and patting his back, to daily tube feeding and cleaning, day after day by his bedside.
She gradually became overwhelmed and eventually placed her son in the Wenshan branch of the Genesis Social Welfare Foundation, hoping he could receive more professional and appropriate care. Unexpectedly, her husband, who originally drove a taxi to supplement the family income, was successively diagnosed with lymphoma, colon cancer, and diabetes. His condition continued to worsen, and he became bedridden due to a cerebral embolism stroke.
Grandma Gao once again faced immense caregiving pressure and was physically and mentally exhausted. Fortunately, the Genesis Social Welfare Foundation provided in-home services, including in-bed bathing and nursing guidance, allowing her a moment of respite.
The Genesis Social Welfare Foundation stated that it continues to promote nursing home and in-home services, providing support and respite time for families. They invite the public to donate NT$1,200 per month to assist in-home services for vegetative patients, allowing mothers who are also caregivers to catch a break.
There is also a group of mothers exhausted by countless early intervention or rehabilitation treatments, sacrificing work and giving up rest, trapped in an endless caregiving marathon. 6-year-old A-Xian (pseudonym) is an autistic child with no verbal ability, unable to interact with outsiders, and has strong rigid behaviors. Everything must follow his internal sequence, and any slight change or stimulation in the environment can trigger a strong emotional backlash from A-Xian.
The spinning fan, sound and light toys, and sliding remote-controlled cars would make A-Xian feel afraid and uneasy, leading to emotional meltdowns. His mother felt very tired and helpless. When A-Xian was 2 years old, he entered the First Social Welfare Foundation's Ai Zhi Development Center. The educators were able to manage A-Xian's emotions and guide him to learn self-care. With the help of speech therapists, a dedicated communication book was created for A-Xian to help him express his feelings more clearly.
Gradually, A-Xian began to accept minor changes, such as turning on the fan. After returning home, he could put his shoes neatly into the shoe cabinet, his emotions became more stable, and his self-care abilities gradually improved. A-Xian's mother said that early intervention brought mother and son closer, slowly seeing the child's growth bit by bit. Although it was slow progress, it was an indescribable感動 (inspiration/moved) and encouragement for the mother.
The First Social Welfare Foundation stated that it has 12 service institutions for intellectually disabled individuals across Taiwan, combining community and family services, supporting tens of thousands of intellectually disabled families annually. Facing increasing labor costs and the demand for aging care year by year, the annual service funding gap has reached NT$50 million. They hope the public will transform their concern into practical action, as every donation is a key force in ensuring professional services are not interrupted. (Edited by Guan Zhongwei) 1150510
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(Central News Agency reporter Chen Chieh-ling, Taipei 10th) Today is Mother's Day. Social welfare groups appeal that on this day full of gratitude, they also hope to see the plight of caregivers. Some mothers help their children grow through early intervention, while elderly women have long shouldered the heavy burden of caring for relatives. They hope the public will transform their concern into practical actions.
The Genesis Social Welfare Foundation recently stated in a press release that among their service cases, over 60% of caregivers are women. A survey on family caregiver stress also found that 25% of caregivers simultaneously need to care for young children or have more than two long-term care recipients at home. Nearly 50% of these caregivers require regular medication or have health problems, even experiencing chronic pain, sleep deprivation, or severe emotional stress.
Under the expectation of motherhood as caregiving, most women often neglect their health or choose to silently put aside their own needs, simply out of the belief that they want to take good care of their family. 71-year-old Grandma Gao is a mother who has long borne the family burden alone. Her son became a vegetative person more than 20 years ago due to a car accident. Since then, she has single-handedly taken on all care responsibilities, from turning him over and patting his back, to daily tube feeding and cleaning, day after day by his bedside.
She gradually became overwhelmed and eventually placed her son in the Wenshan branch of the Genesis Social Welfare Foundation, hoping he could receive more professional and appropriate care. Unexpectedly, her husband, who originally drove a taxi to supplement the family income, was successively diagnosed with lymphoma, colon cancer, and diabetes. His condition continued to worsen, and he became bedridden due to a cerebral embolism stroke.
Grandma Gao once again faced immense caregiving pressure and was physically and mentally exhausted. Fortunately, the Genesis Social Welfare Foundation provided in-home services, including in-bed bathing and nursing guidance, allowing her a moment of respite.
The Genesis Social Welfare Foundation stated that it continues to promote nursing home and in-home services, providing support and respite time for families. They invite the public to donate NT$1,200 per month to assist in-home services for vegetative patients, allowing mothers who are also caregivers to catch a break.
There is also a group of mothers exhausted by countless early intervention or rehabilitation treatments, sacrificing work and giving up rest, trapped in an endless caregiving marathon. 6-year-old A-Xian (pseudonym) is an autistic child with no verbal ability, unable to interact with outsiders, and has strong rigid behaviors. Everything must follow his internal sequence, and any slight change or stimulation in the environment can trigger a strong emotional backlash from A-Xian.
The spinning fan, sound and light toys, and sliding remote-controlled cars would make A-Xian feel afraid and uneasy, leading to emotional meltdowns. His mother felt very tired and helpless. When A-Xian was 2 years old, he entered the First Social Welfare Foundation's Ai Zhi Development Center. The educators were able to manage A-Xian's emotions and guide him to learn self-care. With the help of speech therapists, a dedicated communication book was created for A-Xian to help him express his feelings more clearly.
Gradually, A-Xian began to accept minor changes, such as turning on the fan. After returning home, he could put his shoes neatly into the shoe cabinet, his emotions became more stable, and his self-care abilities gradually improved. A-Xian's mother said that early intervention brought mother and son closer, slowly seeing the child's growth bit by bit. Although it was slow progress, it was an indescribable感動 (inspiration/moved) and encouragement for the mother.
The First Social Welfare Foundation stated that it has 12 service institutions for intellectually disabled individuals across Taiwan, combining community and family services, supporting tens of thousands of intellectually disabled families annually. Facing increasing labor costs and the demand for aging care year by year, the annual service funding gap has reached NT$50 million. They hope the public will transform their concern into practical action, as every donation is a key force in ensuring professional services are not interrupted. (Edited by Guan Zhongwei) 1150510
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship you make is the power to protect press freedom
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.