Physical Health for Caregivers: Staying Strong While You Care

Family caregivers pour their energy into looking after someone else, and their own physical health often becomes the first casualty. Research consistently shows that caregivers have higher rates of chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, and weakened immune function compared to non-caregivers. These are not minor inconveniences. They are serious health risks that can undermine your ability to care for your loved one and your own quality of life.

Taking care of your body is not a distraction from caregiving. It is a direct investment in your capacity to sustain the role over time. This guide offers practical, realistic strategies for maintaining physical health even within the constraints of a demanding caregiving schedule.

Preventing Back and Musculoskeletal Injuries

Back injuries are the most common physical complaint among caregivers, and they are largely preventable with proper technique and awareness.

Safe Lifting and Transferring

The most dangerous moments for caregiver injury occur during transfers, when moving a person from bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to toilet, or from a seated to standing position. These tasks involve heavy loads, awkward positions, and repetitive strain.

Key principles for safe transfers include always bending at the knees rather than the waist, keeping the person as close to your body as possible, avoiding twisting your spine during the movement, using your leg muscles rather than your back to generate force, and communicating with your care recipient before and during every transfer so they can assist as much as possible.

Using Assistive Equipment

Do not hesitate to use equipment designed to reduce physical strain. Transfer belts, sliding boards, bed rails, and mechanical hoists are not signs of weakness. They are professional tools that protect both you and your loved one. The Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) can subsidise these devices for eligible families.

If your loved one's care needs include regular transfers, request a session with a physiotherapist or occupational therapist who can assess the situation and recommend appropriate equipment and techniques specific to your home environment.