{"id":19086,"date":"2026-06-21T21:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T01:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/?post_type=article&p=19086"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:46:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:46:37","slug":"through-the-long-night","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/article\/through-the-long-night\/","title":{"rendered":"Through the Long Night"},"content":{"rendered":"

The car glided slowly into the darkness before dawn. Along the rain-washed streets, the shadows of trees swayed gently, while the streetlights on either side bowed their heads in silence. The world lay hushed and still; only the tires made a soft gurgling sound as they rolled across the wet pavement.\n\nThe road stretched endlessly ahead, reflecting the glow of the lights\u2014splendid, yet desolate. And I could not see the way forward. It felt as though I were trapped in a dream from which I could never awaken, caught in an endless cycle with no escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was fifteen years ago\u2014one of many sleepless nights, a night all too typical of that season of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time, my father-in-law was living with our family of four. Because of heart problems that had led to kidney failure, he required long-term dialysis. His body was frail, and even the slightest lapse in controlling his fluid or salt intake could quickly result in fluid accumulation in his lungs and irregular heart rhythms.\n\nAs a result, ambulance rides, emergency room visits, and sleepless nights became a regular part of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our two children were still young at the time, and my husband, as the family's sole breadwinner, simply could not afford to collapse under the strain. So the responsibility of accompanying my father-in-law to the emergency room at night, waiting with him, and handling the countless hospital-related matters naturally fell to me.\n\nLiving overseas made things even harder, as we had no relatives or close friends nearby to help. On those cold, lonely nights, as I watched the frail old man lying in his hospital bed, I felt overwhelmed by the relentless caregiving responsibilities\u2014problems that recurred again and again, seemed impossible to improve, and showed no end in sight. I was drawn into a deep whirlpool of helplessness, feeling as though I might be pulled under at any moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So many years have passed, yet the exhaustion, helplessness, and suffocating sense of being trapped that I felt during those days remain vivid in my memory. Even now, when I recall the fear of facing a future that seemed endless and without relief, my heart still trembles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The pressures and exhaustion of long-term caregiving can feel like an endless rainy night. Will relief ever come?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Quiet Lament<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a former caregiver, I have experienced firsthand the crushing weight of layer upon layer of pressure and the pain of being pushed to the very edge. Because of that, I cannot help but pay close attention whenever stories related to long-term caregiving emerge in our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2024, a tragic news story made headlines: a seventy-three-year-old man, overwhelmed by the strain of caring for his wife, who suffered from hydrocephalus, pushed her from a building to her death and then turned himself in to the authorities.\n\nThe incident highlighted the harsh reality of Taiwan\u2019s super-aged society, where elderly spouses are increasingly left to care for one another beyond their physical and emotional limits. Yet this is only one facet of the tragedies associated with long-term caregiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond elderly spouses caring for one another, there are also aging parents caring for disabled adult children, and adult children caring for elderly parents or relatives\u2014situations in which emotional and psychological collapse can lead to heartbreaking tragedies.\n\nIn 2023, an eighty-year-old mother who had single-handedly cared for her paralyzed son for fifty years took his life because she feared that, after her own death, there would be no one left to care for him.\n\nIn 2019, Japan witnessed a shocking long-term care tragedy. A seventy-one-year-old woman, the sole caregiver in her family, became overwhelmed by years of caregiving pressure. She used a towel to strangle her seventy-year-old husband, who had suffered a stroke, as well as her ninety-three-year-old father-in-law and ninety-five-year-old mother-in-law. She then attempted to take her own life by overdosing on medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of age, every human life has value. These long-term caregiving tragedies remind us again and again that, as we face an aging and super-aged society, we must ask ourselves: How can we help the elderly live out their days with dignity, while enabling others to continue contributing meaningfully according to their abilities?\n\nWhat attitudes and actions are needed to ensure that every person receives the respect, dignity, and support they deserve under God's grace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
As society moves toward an aging and super-aged future, the question of how to provide long-term care\u2014and how to care for the caregivers themselves\u2014is not only a social issue, but also a spiritual one.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chronic Stress and Caregiver Burnout<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The accumulation of stress may well be the most fundamental cause of long-term caregiving tragedies. Many caregivers shoulder the burden alone. With no one available to relieve them, they remain on call twenty-four hours a day, constantly in a state of high alert. Combined with chronic sleep deprivation and no clear prospect of relief or an end in sight, their physical and emotional reserves gradually become depleted.\n\nAs primary caregivers, their lives are often deeply bound to the person they care for. Social connections fade, and life itself can seem frozen in place. When misunderstanding or criticism from others is added to the mix, negative emotions easily intensify. Eventually, under the weight of extreme physical and emotional exhaustion, caregivers may fall into depression or emotional collapse, pushing both themselves and those they care for into profoundly dangerous circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the population ages, the need for long-term care is rising rapidly. Moreover, the challenge is not limited to physical disability; the prevalence of dementia is also increasing at an alarming rate. In Taiwan, for example, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Epidemiological Survey of Dementia reported that the number of people living with dementia has reached 300,000.1<\/sup> <\/strong>The prevalence rate is 7.99 percent.2<\/sup> <\/strong>People with dementia often retain the ability to act independently, yet their cognition and memory become increasingly impaired. As a result, caring for them can be especially challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My father is a case in point. He passed away at the age of ninety-one. During the final years of his life, he lived not only with dementia but also with severe delirium and persecutory delusions.\n\nAt first, the symptoms seemed relatively mild. He refused to eat the meals prepared by family members and instead cooked for himself in his room using an electric cooker. Day after day, he ate the same simple foods and would not allow anyone else to intervene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, the family did not realize that he was suffering from dementia. We simply felt that his personality had suddenly changed and that his behavior had become very unusual.\n\nAs time went on, he no longer wanted to sleep in his bed. Instead, he would move a folding cot from one place to another throughout the house during the night, and whenever he walked, he stayed close to the walls. Only through careful and skillful questioning did we discover what was happening: in his mind, scenes from The Yangtze No. 1 seemed to be playing out every day.3<\/sup> <\/strong>He lived in a constant state of alertness, fearful that someone might poison or assassinate him. As a result, even the most basic aspects of caring for him became extremely difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My father, once a gentle and mild-mannered man, gradually began to display aggressive and even violent behavior. On sleepless nights, he would mistake streetlights for enemies spying on him, shouting angrily in the alleyways until neighbors called the police, leaving family members scrambling to respond.\n\nWhenever my mother recalls those days, she still feels a deep sense of anguish. She says life then was like a pressure cooker filled with steam\u2014requiring constant vigilance while always waiting for the next explosion. As the primary caregiver, she inevitably struggled with insomnia and anxiety. The intensity of the pressure she endured is difficult to imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moral Pressure and Role Entrapment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

East Asian societies have been deeply influenced by Confucian thought, which regards filial piety as the foundation of human relationships and places great emphasis on the family's responsibility to support and care for its elders. In the agricultural societies of the past, when families were larger and life expectancy was shorter, families could often manage to provide care through mutual support.\n\nHowever, with declining birth rates, population aging, and increasing social diversity, the traditional family-based model is no longer sufficient to meet the growing demands of long-term care. As a result, incidents of homicide and suicide related to family caregiving occur at rates higher than those seen in many other parts of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even today, public opinion and cultural traditions continue to elevate filial piety to the highest moral standard. Many families, though deeply overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities, are reluctant to seek outside help for fear of being labeled unfilial.\n\nTraditional expectations often place the burden of caregiving on particular family members, and the assumption that women should bear primary responsibility remains deeply ingrained. As a result, many women carry enormous emotional and physical burdens. Beyond women, it is also common to see family members give up their own lives, careers, and aspirations in order to care for aging relatives.\n\nOver time, they can become trapped in a role from which there seems to be no exit. Their sense of self gradually fades, and any desire to step away is accompanied by overwhelming guilt. When financial hardship, personal health problems, or criticism and lack of understanding from other family members are added to the equation, depression and emotional collapse can easily follow. Under such circumstances, it becomes increasingly difficult to resist extreme thoughts\u2014and, in some cases, extreme actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, a Taiwanese man in the prime of his life resigned from his position as a supermarket manager in order to better care for his father, who required regular dialysis, and his mother, who had limited mobility. He returned home to take on the responsibility of caregiving full-time.\n\nYet only two months later, overwhelmed by the combined weight of financial strain and psychological burden, he chose to end his life together with those of his parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This raises a sobering question: How many people are trapped in such a role, feeling there is no way out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary French anthropologist Emmanuel Todd once observed, \u201cTo demand too much from the family ultimately destroys it; the state must assume the responsibilities imposed upon it.\u201d (Trop demander \u00e0 la famille finit par la d\u00e9truire ; il faut que l\u2019\u00c9tat prenne en charge ce qu\u2019on lui impose.)\n\nHis words are particularly relevant today, as many countries face rapidly declining birth rates alongside rapidly aging populations. The traditional expectation that families alone can bear the full burden of long-term care is becoming increasingly unrealistic. Without broader support from society, communities, and public institutions, the strain placed upon individual families may eventually exceed what they can reasonably endure.4<\/sup> <\/strong>Taiwan officially entered a super-aged society in 2025. The proportion of people aged sixty-five and older rose from 10 percent in 2010 to 20 percent in just fifteen years\u2014doubling within a remarkably short period of time. If we continue to rely solely on family resources to meet the growing demands of long-term care, we will be pursuing an impossible solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps it is time for people to rethink their assumptions. We should no longer regard personally doing everything ourselves as the defining expression of love, nor should we burden ourselves with guilt or expect family members to sacrifice themselves indefinitely in the name of duty.\n\nInstead, we need to learn to seek support beyond the family and allow public policies and community resources to provide meaningful assistance to those in need. For example, many countries offer respite care as part of their long-term care services, giving caregivers temporary relief so that they can rest, recover, and continue providing care without becoming overwhelmed.5<\/sup> <\/strong>Home-care services and adult day-care programs can also provide valuable support, giving caregivers opportunities for rest and relief, even if only for a short time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting Weary Hands<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
If churches and individual believers can offer caregivers a listening ear, compassionate companionship, and prayer, while also providing practical assistance, caregivers may feel less alone and find much-needed comfort and encouragement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The challenges of long-term caregiving are not merely social concerns; they also carry profound spiritual significance. At their heart lie questions of values and faith in action: How do we view human life? How do we treat one another? And how do we live out the love of God in practical and tangible ways?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many caregivers live for years under the weight of exhaustion, isolation, and constant pressure, yet forget that they, too, need care. They need to be reminded that caring for themselves is not selfish, but necessary. No one should be expected to carry every burden alone.\n\nJesus Himself said, \u201cCome with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest\u201d (Mark 6:31). For Christians, when someone around us is struggling with the demands of caregiving, should we not seek to understand and recognize their pressures? Should we not encourage and help them find resources, take a break, and receive support? Sometimes even a small opportunity to rest and catch one's breath can make a profound difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The church as a whole, and individual believers as members of Christ\u2019s body, can help build a network of support so that caregivers do not have to fight their battles alone. Galatians 6:2 reminds us, \u201cCarry each other\u2019s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.\u201d The pressures borne by caregivers are precisely such burdens.\n\nThe church should respond to their needs with genuine care: accepting their emotions and reminding them that God is able to receive the full reality of the human heart. It is permissible to feel discouraged, frustrated, or sorrowful. When caregivers receive encouragement from fellow believers, compassionate listening, and prayerful companionship, they may find comfort and strength on what often feels like a lonely road of responsibility, no longer carrying the weight entirely by themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Moses grew weary, Aaron and Hur came alongside him: \u201cAaron and Hur held his hands up\u2014one on one side, one on the other\u201d (Exodus 17:12). If even Moses, that resilient spiritual leader, needed others to support him in his moment of exhaustion, how much more do our brothers and sisters who serve as caregivers?\n\nUnder the relentless pressures of long-term caregiving, they do not need to be told to be stronger; they need to be supported. As individual members of Christ\u2019s body, and as the church together, can we become \u201cAarons and Hurs\u201d for the caregivers among us? Can we help bear their burdens, strengthen weary hands, and enable them to persevere in the long battle of caregiving with hope, dignity, and grace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking Together in Love<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

God has compassion on human limitations and calls the weary to rest. Jesus said, \u201cCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.\u201d He cares about the renewal and restoration of our souls and leads us beside quiet waters. This reminds us that the God who understands our frailty does not ask us to give endlessly without measure; rather, He teaches us the wisdom of healthy limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For caregivers, rest is not a sign of weakness\u2014it is an act of trust. For the church, genuine companionship means helping caregivers feel seen: seen in their burdens, seen in their limitations. It means creating a community where they can be loved and supported.\n\nWhen their bodies are exhausted, their emotions depleted, and their hearts lonely, there should be someone in the church willing to step in for a while, listen to their struggles, and give them permission to be weak. Rather than adding spiritual pressure or expectations of service, we should not simply tell them to \u201ckeep enduring because God will bless you.\u201d Instead, we are called to become tangible expressions of God's care, offering practical help, understanding, and grace in their time of need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For caregivers, reconnecting with God and finding renewed strength does not come from trying harder or carrying more; it comes from the grace of being upheld. When they are gently received and sustained by God's love, they are able to build deeper relationships with both God and others. In that place of acceptance, they can be renewed, restored, and strengthened to continue the journey. Only then can the church truly become a community marked by mutual love and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long-term caregiving is often a journey with no visible end, carrying a weight that is difficult to put into words. In such circumstances, when someone is willing to draw near to a caregiver, sit with them, weep with them, and genuinely understand their struggles, that presence becomes a response to God's call. Like a small light shining in the darkness, it is love put into action.\n\nSuch companionship also reminds caregivers that their sacrifices are not in vain. God sees every act of love, every hidden burden, and every weary step. Nothing they do goes unnoticed; He remembers it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True companionship is not born merely from a moment of compassion or inspiration. It requires a steadfast commitment to remain present and continue walking alongside another person through the long journey. Such faithfulness cannot be sustained by willpower alone; it is a spiritual pilgrimage of partnering with God and walking with Him as we walk with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May we come to understand that the source of love is not ourselves, nor morality, nor tradition, but God. Only when we are continually filled with His love can we continue to give love to others.\n\nWe cannot take God's place, and those who accompany others also need to be nourished. When we grow weary, we must return to God, acknowledge our limitations, wait quietly before Him in prayer, and receive strength from His presence. As we labor together with fellow believers in the church, sharing one another's burdens, the path of companionship becomes steadier, more sustainable, and filled with grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Can we become people who uphold and support caregivers with love, so that the elderly may live out their days with dignity, the strong may continue to contribute according to their abilities, and every human life may be treated with the respect and dignity it deserves?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along the long and difficult road of caregiving, we may not be able to carry every burden on behalf of caregivers. Yet we can bear witness to the presence of love in the midst of suffering. By walking alongside them with compassion and faithfulness, we help ensure that no weary soul journeys alone, and that each person can find support, strength, and hope for the road ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I look back on those long nights I once drove through more than a decade ago, my hope is that in the years ahead, more and more lights will shine along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    1. Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan:https:\/\/www.mohw.gov.tw\/cp-6560-76016-1.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Healthnews Taiwan:https:\/\/www.healthnews.com.tw\/article\/61243<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. \"The Yangtze No. 1\" (\u9577\u6c5f\u4e00\u865f), an anti-Japanese espionage television drama series broadcast by the China Television Company (CTV) in Taiwan during the 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Refer to the \"Population Aging Report\" published by the Manpower Planning Department of Taiwan's Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. For more information on respite care services, please refer to the Long-Term Care Services website of Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u8eca\u5b50\u7de9\u7de9\u6ed1\u5165\u9ece\u660e\u524d\u7684\u9ed1\u591c\uff0c\u96e8\u5f8c\u7684\u8857\u9053\u6a39\u5f71\u6416\u66f3\uff0c\u5169\u65c1\u7684\u8857\u71c8\u9ed8\u7136\u5782\u9996\uff0c\u4e16\u754c\u5b89\u975c\u5730\u6c89\u9ed8\u8457\uff0c…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":19186,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":""},"issue":[294],"section":[85],"class_list":["post-19086","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","issue-issue-82","section-kingdom-knowledge-practice"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"issue":[{"value":294,"label":"82\u671f"}],"section":[{"value":85,"label":"\u795e\u570b\u77e5\u884c Kingdom Knowledge & Practice"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/\u9577\u591c\u6f2b\u6f2b\u5c01\u9762-1024x768.png",1024,768,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"\u694a\u859b\u83c1","author_link":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/author\/yang-xuejing\/"},"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/19086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue?post=19086"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=19086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}