Carerhood

Patients with primary care health conditions such as asthma, psoriasis, and bacterial infections require more than just medication; they need better care at home to improve their quality of life. This is where the vital role of family carers come in.

Numbering over 259 million worldwide, carers often are family members — parents, children, siblings, and other relatives — who have stepped up to assume this vital role. The knowledge needed to care for their loved ones goes beyond just dispensing medication. Carers must research on their own, combing through many different sources, to find credible information to help their loved ones manage their conditions.

Overlooked and underserved by the healthcare ecosystem, many carers are part of the Sandwich Generation. Apart from their duty of care, they are overloaded with looking after their growing children and aging parents, while still managing other roles like professional careers and social commitments, ultimately affecting their mental well-being.

Due to time constraints and rapid patient turnover rates, consultations with healthcare professionals (HCPs) are often short and functional, focusing only on medical interventions. This was heightened during the pandemic when patients overwhelmed the medical system, stretching it to breaking point. During this time, patients with non-urgent or life-threatening conditions were a lower priority, making home care the only option for unprepared family members who became their carers.

Facing a lack of information, heightened stress and sacrifice required, many carers are left on their own with the health of their loved ones on their hands. With the usual channels for medical information — doctors, nurses and other HCPs — overwhelmed and inaccessible, we created a new channel – Carerhood – as an always on resource to help carers find credible information and right support system for their loved ones and themselves.