For many parents of children with disabilities, caregiving is a full-time responsibility that leaves little to no room for work or other sources of income. You have to dedicate your time to attend to all your child’s needs round-the-clock.

For 26 years, this has been part of Aida Deauna and her husband’s daily life. But after her husband died of a heart attack, the responsibility of raising and caring for their child fell entirely on Aida’s shoulders.

At 60, Aida, a resident of Barangay Sto. Domingo in Calabanga, Camarines Sur, became the sole caregiver of her 26-year-old son with a mental health condition that requires constant care and support.

“Hindi ako makapagtrabaho dahil wala namang magbabantay sa anak ko. Ako lahat ang gumagawa para sa kaniya,” Aida shared.

Every day, Aida prepares her son’s meals, bathes him, changes his diapers, administers his medication, and attends to all of his daily needs. Because her son cannot be left alone, Aida has been unable to seek regular employment to support their household.

Aida even recalled that the emotional and financial strain eventually became overwhelming for her that she lived like a “hermit” in their house to avoid seeing their neighbors.

“Tinakpan ko ang mga bintana ng bahay namin ng plywood dahil ayoko nang makakita ng mga tao,” Aida recalled.

Like many parents and caregivers, Aida cannot hide that her priority has always been her child’s well-being, even if it meant setting aside opportunities to earn a living. With her son’s medicines costing around Php1,000 every week, meeting their daily expenses has become an ongoing struggle.

Recognizing the challenges faced by caregivers of persons with disabilities, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with the National Council for Disability Affairs (NCDA), implements the Therapy for Fee (TheraFee) Project.

The TheraFee, under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay (KKB) Cash-for-Work (CFW) Program, is a new DSWD initiative that supports family and community members caring for persons with disabilities with high support needs by incentivizing their duty as care workers.

Under the program, family or community careworkers may engage for a maximum of 90 days per year and a maximum of eight hours of work per day.

The scope of work or services may include basic activities of daily living (BADLs) such as assisting persons with disabilities with high support needs in bathing, dressing, eating, using the bathroom, grooming, and transferring from one place to another.

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) like meal preparation, medical management, housekeeping, managing finances, shopping, transportation, communication, and companionship may also be performed by the beneficiaries.

The rendered service is compensable based on the prevailing regional daily minimum wage rate.

Program participants are also provided with capacity-building activities to improve their skills in providing home-based care, while promoting gender equality and social inclusion within families and communities.

Aida was among the 18 TheraFee beneficiaries in the municipality of Calabanga who received cash assistance from the DSWD.

On June 23, the DSWD Field Office (FO) 5 – Bicol Region distributed the CFW assistance to the beneficiaries in Calabanga, including Aida, with each receiving Php4,350.

For Aida, the assistance will help cover some of their most urgent expenses, particularly her son’s weekly medication.

“Ang gamot ng anak ko ay umaabot ng isang libong piso sa isang linggo. Malaking tulong ito dahil makakabili ako ng gamot, gatas at pagkain para sa kaniya,” Aida said.

The assistance also gave her some relief from constantly worrying about where to find money for their next meal.

“Dati kapag kumakain kami, iniisip ko na agad kung saan kukuha ng pambili ng pagkain kinabukasan. Ngayon, kahit paano, nabawasan ang problema ko. Hindi na ako kung saan-saan lalapit para humingi ng tulong. Malaking bagay na ito para sa amin. At least, may nakakaalala at tumutulong sa mga katulad namin,” Aida said.

For 2026, more than 1,800 family and community careworkers and persons with disabilities with high support needs are expected to benefit from the expansion of the DSWD’s TheraFee. (YADP)