Last Saturday Isaac and I were assigned to visit Mdm C.Y.L. We brought her to the nearby clinic for a routine check up. Although it was only a short trip out of the house, her excitement was palpable.

   

To me, home is the safe harbour one returns to after a long day outside. It is the place where dreams are built. But in Mdm C’s case, due to her immobility, home is the four walls that confine her. And only the weekends provide some respite from this confinement.

That being said, Mdm C is not socially isolated. She still has a clear mind and is very well informed about current affairs. This is something I’ve noticed in the elderly during my volunteering experiences. While many of them may be lacking in physical health, they always have a wealth of knowledge that they are ever so willing to share. 

-Victoria

Tribute to you

As i sat down and took a back seat today, i saw what I've not seen for a long time. Mdm H was happily chatting with Jonathan, face gleaming, smiles aplenty. Fewer scoldings today, but more gentle and motherly. She told him about her stories, asked about him and engaged in a good chat. He mopped the floor and did a great job, while i sat down shaking leg. The things that i usually do, someone else is doing now, and doing a great job.

That's the beauty of our organisation. one batch after another, one people after another, we devote our minutes and hours to a cause we believe in. We group together to talk about our elderly, but to be honest the reason why i am still active after nearly 2.5 years here is because of the people.

At the beginning, that's the main inspiration for me. The energy that the young ones around me had, and that that I inevitably caught from them as well. the friendships that we have built with one another to serve as an extra motivation for the work we do. The people with whom we clean windows, watch tv, speak broken hokkien and tackle awkward silences. It makes a big difference to the mood and the "feel".

I have been around long enough to have seen batch to batch to batch, and i do think a lot about how it felt last time. the different group of people brought about a different culture, different dynamics, different bonds forged thus different feelings. sometimes i miss seeing certain people, all the fun we had visiting together. today i wanna pay tribute to the interesting personalities i have met over this few years.


she was my greatest source of inspiration, i think i have never met anyone as nice and sincere as her, yet engaging and wanting to make a real difference. the way she talks to the students and elderly alike, the way she tries to encourage people to think about issues from different perspectives. and never left anyone out, always trying to engage the lonely sheep and lost souls.

i vividly recall how these 3 vocal noisy ladies were the ones who made fun of my seniority (and thus maturity okay) non stop, since probably the first few times. not that i mind it at all, it was great fun. having this group of noisy young energetic people around me on weekends was such a stark contrast to the mundane engineering life i had to live for most of the time. real human touch. of cos there are a few others who joined in the fun.

there's also a he who is so different when she is around, but together they always seem sweet and fun and happy to see us and the elderly.

a very noisy her with so many things to say. but truly a kind hearted soul, almost impossible today. i recall how she was struggling with a certain decision, but im glad she made the choice hers. making a difference to many lives around.

he who impressed me much, as he looked like someone who just plays around but i grew to hear his views and thoughts that turned out to be pretty mature. another side to someone was witnessed, showing that sometimes we cant judge too quickly at all.

someone really funny and is an auntie, also someone who puts in heart and treats others well. somehow i could talk to her easily from the start. she was a good opponent and we have had many interesting discussions since.

and the best friend i have made here. at the start by chance, and later on not so much so. really thankful to have had her with me on my many visits, having lots of fun in our interaction both personally and with the elderly. saturdays never felt happier, our pairing always felt right then, and i still hope and look fwd to someday when i can go visiting with my best partner again.

he whom i really felt his sincerity right from the first time we met, even though he can be full of nonsense as well. but perhaps no one more than me can testify that how much a joker looks on the outside may not reflect how real he truly is deep inside.


many many more really. can't name you all, but would like to once again say thank you  to have made the elderlies' days, and definitely many of my saturdays too. thanks for the effort, thanks for the inspiration, thanks for the memories (: whilst new faces stroll in by the weeks/years and the old ones leave one by one, i still hope, at the back of my mind, to turn the clock back once in a while.


regards,
kai him

A day with Mdm H on 28 Mar '15

Hello all, this is Jonathan Chew making the first post in T.H.E.seniors blog. On 28 Mar '15, I visited mdm H together with Kai Him. I have just come on board T.H.E.seniors since last Dec and it was my first visit to mdm H.

Upon entering her house, mdm H was greeted by a familiar friend, Kai Him, and a new friend, Jonathan. Mdm H then replied in her usual Canto conversation with Kai Him. However, interestingly, when she greeted me, she spoke in Teo Chew and I was rather surprised that she knew I’m Teo Chew. Probably, it’s just coincidence, haha.

We sat down and started chatting. Mdm H shared that she is able to converse in a number of languages, i.e. Mandarin, Hokkien, Teo Chew, Cantonese, Malay, and some English. She began switching from one language to another and I thought she’s rather impressive. Mdm H then continued speaking of her family, her husband, daughter, and grandchildren. She had special mention of her doctor grandson whom she is proud of. However, from her sharing, I could hear a grandma longing for her grandson, who is in his 40’s, to settle down. Perhaps, it is the wish of all parents and grandparents to see their child succeed with a family of their own.

Mdm H, at a senior age of about 90, has some difficulty on moving around and appreciates volunteers helping her on simple cleaning of her house. We could see smiles on her face while she watched us swept and mopped the floor. She even offered us to drinks and lunch to show her appreciation. I believe these small gestures of ours do cheer them up and let them know that there’s a group of students who cares and loves them.

I have enjoyed all my visits thus far and am looking forward to meeting and chitchatting with more elderlies!

- Jonathan Chew