TOUCHed!

25th August, 2007, 10:00am
Mass Rapid Transit Station
Kallang, Singapore

!!!Time For Touch!!!

At Kallang we met
Before we set
off to the bus stop
For Twenty-Six
A group of People
A myriad of faces
A union of hearts
As we set off for Touch
Hold on! One last man...
Khoon Hong!
Running and waving
He reaches, steps up.
The door closes.
Adventure begins!

My first experience at Touch, and it was certainly a MOST memorable and meaningful one!

After reaching the TOUCH Senior Activity Centre, we were given a short tour of the centre and its facilities. Most of the facilities there were donated by people, and knowing this really brings to us a certain assurance that here in Singapore there are really many who care. We also learnt about some of the difficulties the elderly face in their lives, caused by physical disabilities, language barriers, and fast pace technological advancements that have left many unable to participate readily with the environment.

We were split into three groups of Mandarin/English, Cantonese and Hokkien speakers. As part of the Hokkien group, we visited Mdm Lim first. We found her collecting breakfast at the void deck of the next flat. While waiting for her, we got to know some of the other elderlies who are there. They sure look happy!

This time, the weather was fine. We followed Mdm Lim up to her flat. There was a very homely feel to her place. We sat down on the floor, talk about many topics such as religion and food. She mentioned that she has heart problems, which causes pain that comes and goes, lasting sometimes up to an hour. Not only is it very uncomfortable, at the same time also causes her to feel very weak, and drowsy. But every time, she hangs on, knowing that if she goes to sleep, there is a chance that she might never wake up again. Such is the spirit of life in a physically frail lady! By the way, Mdm Lim loves coffee! But too much coffee is bad for the heart too, so Derui told her not to consume too much. There were a few moments when no one could think of any topics to share, but luckily those are few and far between. Mdm Lim also mentions that she has to take so many pills that sometimes she really, really simply do not want to take them. Food to Mdm Lim has also gotten a little monotonous,either bread, bee hoon, noodles or rice. She yearns for nicer food I guess, maybe we can find some other suitable food the next time we visit her? When Mdm Lim speaks, I felt carried back in time, to years when she was younger, stronger, a young adult or teenager as we are. Guess it's in the old ages that we look back and realize that how wonderful life had been? We also cracked some jokes, such as one of the freshie "who stays in the zoo". Had a hard time trying to guess what's "zoo" in Hokkien! However Mdm Lim was very patient and tried to guess what we are talking about.

The visit ended quite soon. It was about time too I guess, for Mdm Lim to have a rest and her lunch. Amidst our collective goodbyes, she was smiling ever so happily.

Next!

Mdm Tan's a cheerful old lady who's all smiles! Her smile radiates into the entire room I guess! She was really hospitable too. She kept mentioning about not having drinks for us or chairs for us to sit on though we are definitely more than happy to sit on the floor!! Then she would adjust the fan so that everyone's got a fair share of air. Though she may be old, she is still very alert and young at heart. She even guessed our ages correctly, taking into account details such as 2 yrs of army for guys and all that. Overall we had a very fun session, telling jokes and trying to get some of the seniors to sing songs! Amily told her famous riddle about the cross-eyed patient who went to the doctor. What did the doctor say? (Guess!) Jian Cong also told some joke which I lost him somewhere in the middle. Sorries! It was "Way Too Chim". Mdm Tan says she loved to sing songs long ago, but she finds it harder to sing or talk for long periods of time now. Never mind! Next time before we visit her again, we shall prepare a session of music and dance, shall we?

The session ended all too soon, and we went back to the gathering spot outside the centre for a quick debrief. We shared some of the things we have learnt, some of the suggestions which we might have. We then went off to the nearby coffee shop to have lunch. The fried kway teow there was nice! Do go try it if any of you join us ok?

The visit brought us a whole new world of understanding about the lives that the elderly lead, the problems they face, the many things that they have gone through. And even then I would say that what we see is only be a tiny glimpse, a snapshot through a window into the lives of these people. Through communicating with them, we learn of many stories, of a time long ago, a different age, when the world was different. That they were once, like us, young before. Conversely, how would our lives be as we grow up? Would we be here many long years down the road, to share the stories of life with the young?

The TOUCH Seniors program brings helping hands, and most importantly, listening ears to the elderly. It gives the elderly a short, but enjoyable 2 hrs of company each Saturday, moments of joy to know that though some of them might not be mobile enough to travel easily round Singapore, there are many people who still care for them. That they are not forgotten. That they are loved by many, many people. Through the many activities that the centre organizes, the elderly have still rich lives to lead ahead.


Khoon Yi