SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic helper who was initially only asked to look after her employer’s elderly mother found her workload doubling when she needed to also take care of her employer’s elderly father who suffered from a stroke.
In an anonymous post to a Facebook page for domestic helpers, the maid wrote that though she was only hired to take care of ‘ahma’, “2 month ago ahkong have stroke so now i must take care 2 person”. She also said that when the elderly man was discharged from the hospital after his stroke, nurses told the family that he would need attention from his family because he had difficulties remembering things. They also said that it would be challenging for the helper if he got angry and was not able to understand what was going on.
In her post, the maid wrote that the elderly lady was wheelchair-bound and her employer’s brother had left them to go overseas on vacation. She did not elaborate, but said that there were many other incidents that made her want to break her contract. She then asked netizens for their advice on whether it was normal to take care of two people without an increase in salary, and asked if this could be considered a valid reason to break her contract.
Netizens who commented on the maid’s post asked if she would be able to take care of two elderly people even if she was given a pay raise.
Here’s what they wrote:
Earlier this year, a foreign domestic helper took to social media to question her employer’s decision to allow her to attend caregiver classes.
In an anonymous post to Facebook group FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), the maid wrote that when she asked her employers if she could attend Sunday school and take classes to be a caregiver, “w/o hesitation they agreed”.
She added that she was almost done with six months of learning how to be a caregiver and would attend on-the-job training soon. She wrote that last Chinese New Year her employers took her to their hometown in Malaysia where she “found out the reason why they agreed w/o hesitation because one of thier (sic) family member was very old and in incontinent situations (sic)“.
“now I have a hint that after my class they will ask me to take care of thier (sic) elderly in Malaysia. Should I accept if they ask me? if yes, my permit will still under MOM or in Malaysia government? And; how much the minimum wage of a caregiver in Malaysia if anyone knows,” the helper asked. /TISG