Beyond Mothers’ Day recognition

The world recently celebrated Mother’s Day.

There is a group of mothers whose sacrifices and devotion deserve to be honoured not only for one day, but throughout the entire year.

These wonderful mothers are those caring for children with special needs and chronic illnesses.

They often play the roles of nurses, therapists, teachers, advocates, counsellors, and caregivers, etc., all at once, switching between these roles several times each day. 

Many wake several times at night to give medications, monitor sleeplessness, calm sensory meltdowns, soothe or comfort pain or rush to hospitals during emergencies.

Others spend years attending hospital appointments, many nights of admission in hospital, fighting fears and stigma, navigating schools, and worrying about the future of their children.

This motherhood journey is filled with love that is always being pushed to the limits.

There are times of exhaustion, emotional stress, grieving, financial pressure and social isolation.

Yet many keep their heads up, constantly fighting tears to soldier on.

These mothers demonstrate remarkable endurance and patience as they celebrate small victories that many take for granted. It could be a child’s first spoken word, a new word added to the vocabulary, a newly developed ability to point, or simply seeing their child smile after pain.

Support

Across the world, many countries have recognised that caring for children with disabilities or chronic illnesses requires extraordinary support.

Governments and communities, therefore, provide special benefits to help ease the burden on caregivers.

These include respite care services that allow parents short periods of rest, caregiver allowances or monthly financial support, tax reliefs for families raising children with disabilities, extended parental leave, home nursing assistance, subsidised therapies and special education, flexible work arrangements and transportation support, disability grants, among others.

In parts of Canada, families may receive caregiver tax credits and disability support payments.  In some European countries, parents can receive direct caregiver allowances, pension support, or paid leave to care for medically complex children.  

Many countries also provide respite programs because policymakers recognise that caregiver burnout affects both the parent and the child. 

In Ghana, awareness and support are improving for such families, but many mothers still carry this burden largely alone. Most leave their jobs to provide full-time care, especially when they cannot find a suitable school or help.

Transportation costs to hospitals can be discouraging, therapies can be financially damaging, and the burden is worsened by limited inclusive schooling and deeply rooted social stigmatising.

In some communities, mothers are unfairly blamed for their child’s condition and rejected.

The child is a curse and is not allowed to participate if he/she even