The Caregiver Support Group programme (CSG) provides support to families of children belonging to three different chronic illness groups, namely rare genetic disorders (RGN), neurological, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Past activities in 2018 and 2019 include a romantic dinner to give parents quality time away from their children and equine therapy, which is an experiential treatment that promotes emotional healing in typically ASD sufferers – through activities with horses.
From June to July 2020, the CSGs had to be held online due to the pandemic, but the effectiveness wasn’t compromised, as evident from the name of the event, ‘Finding my strengths at home’.
The programme was facilitated through two different platforms – the main programme for the three respective CSGs was conducted on Microsoft Teams, and the second was conducted on WhatsApp.
Caregivers who missed the main programme due to their busy schedule were given resources with the contents of the programme and subsequently asked to share their reflections and takeaways in a facilitated WhatsApp group.
During the main programme, the facilitators taught coping skills such as breathing exercises. Apart from imparting skills, the caregivers were asked to identify their 'resource person' – persons who provide formal and informal support, respectively – to realise the importance of a support system on this journey.
Most of the caregivers were able to identify at least two resource persons in their life, with the most common answers being family members and friends.
“I felt relaxed as I recalled the past (when) my late mother spurred me to focus on positivity (no matter what) happens to my child,” a participant shared.
As a caregiver, self-development is oftentimes neglected due to the huge portion of their time dedicated to caring for their child. During the programme, the caregivers were tasked to identify their strengths and develop their strength plans.
Love, love of learning, and flexibility were among the commonly identified strengths. The identification of one’s strengths allows for a better understanding of oneself and self-development.
Reflection on the programme, a caregiver shared, “It was a good break from the daily routine of caregiving to connect with other parents and a good reflection time to remember things which I have experienced before and reconnect them again”.
A continuation from the previous years’ CSG, the 2021 virtual edition focused on emotional coping strategies.
Interested in supporting Club Rainbow, do write in to crscpm@clubrainbow.org.