Spending 20 million VND, it’s still difficult to hire someone to take care of your sick and elderly parents

His father, 79 years old, lives in Dong Anh, has severe complications after a stroke, and is completely dependent on the support of others. He also had pneumonia and many underlying diseases. This condition requires constant rotation and physical therapy to prevent ulcers and the risk of respiratory complications.

For the first time, the family hired a 52-year-old woman with a salary of 10 million VND/month. However, she was exhausted after two sleepless nights, clumsy in her movements, and weak in strength, making it necessary for her family to help her turn him over. After two weeks, she resigned.

Mr. Tu switched to hiring people through a service company with a salary of 13 million VND/month but encountered people who were impatient, irritable, and had unsatisfactory skills. Unsatisfied, he sought a more advanced service at a cost of 18-20 million VND/month, committed to providing specialized staff with medical degrees and at least 3 years of experience.

The new staff made Mr. Tu satisfied with their expertise, but they did not do housework or stay overnight, causing his family to have to assign someone to take turns staying up at night to take care of the old man. “Even if we spend a large amount of money, the family still has to share the work, and employees cannot work 24/7,” Mr. Tu shared.

According to population reports, Vietnam currently has more than 4.3 million elderly people living alone or with someone under 15 years old, in need of care support. Although the average life expectancy has increased to 73 years, the quality of life is still low when each elderly person suffers from an average of 3-5 chronic diseases, requiring long-term treatment.

Despite the great demand, human resources in the field of elderly care are currently lacking in both quantity and quality, the doctor said. In 2023, the Ministry of Health said that Vietnam will record a ratio of 0.25 people working in the rehabilitation industry per 10,000 people, which is very low and does not meet the needs of patient care in the context of population aging.

In addition, the ratio of nurses in Vietnam is 11 nurses/10,000 people, much lower than the WHO’s recommended level (25 nurses/10,000 people). This increases pressure on the patient’s family and the health system.

Due to limited supply, the income of caring for the sick is very attractive, often double the salary of a housekeeper. In particular, the salary for human resources to take care of the elderly who are completely dependent on living is up to 20-30 million VND/month, but finding suitable people is still extremely difficult.

Doctor Pham Van Phuc, Department of Intensive Care, Central Tropical Diseases Hospital, said that caring for the elderly, especially those with serious illnesses, requires both strength, professional skills and patience. Daily tasks such as bathing, feeding, turning to prevent ulcers, shaking to help patients loosen phlegm… are beyond the capabilities of a regular maid.

Many elderly patients are often completely dependent and have underlying diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, and pneumonia, requiring close monitoring and long-term treatment. Complicated cases require medical knowledge such as changing oxygen tanks and handling support equipment. In addition, in some cases of stroke or neurological effects, patients also have opposing or offensive behavior, making work even more stressful.

However, many people hired do not have professional skills and are not used to harsh environments, so they often fumble and do their work unsatisfactorily. Impatience, irritable attitudes, or requests to quit work due to pressure are common occurrences.

In the field of professional care, personnel with sufficient qualifications and experience often belong to high-end services with costs of up to 20-30 million VND/month. But even when paying a large amount of money, families still face difficulties such as: the caregiver does not do housework and only focuses on taking care of the patient, causing the family to have to hire more human resources.

Master of Psychology Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, Vietnam Happiness Academy Company, said that in many cases, conflicts between caregivers and families arise due to unsatisfactory ways of handling work. Some people are irresponsible, work sloppily, and even engage in extortion, financial exploitation, or theft. On the other hand, living together for a long time creates a gap in living habits and behavior, making it difficult for both parties to find harmony.

According to Dr. Phuc, finding staff to care for the elderly is not only a matter of cost, but also involves psychological factors, skills and close coordination between family members. Even if there is money, a sustainable solution must still rely on companionship and sharing from all parties.

“With seriously ill patients, families need to coordinate and share work because no employee can work continuously 24/7 without needing to rest,” the doctor said.

In addition, experts emphasize the need for a mechanism to properly manage and train human resources in the care industry, for example replicating specialized courses on elderly care, including hygiene and nutrition skills. , provide psychological encouragement and handle emergency situations, and build clear professional standards.

Expand the community care network and improve family capacity in caring for the elderly. Develop socialization policies to encourage private organizations to establish nursing homes and standard care centers.