Prior to visiting the elderly, I imagined I would meet cranky elderly who lived in poorly furnished flats, with heaps upon heaps of their belongings taking up most of the space. I was walking along the corridor on the 2nd level, towards my first destination, when my imagination was reinforced. The layout of the HDB block was such that there was a long, straight and narrow corridor with flats on both sides, and it was illuminated only by sunlight at the end of the corridor. Yes, it all feels quite sad, doesn't it? However, the elderly occupants of two of these flats were anything but.
I joined the Hokkien group and visited Mdm Ho first. I was, at first, slightly concerned the situation would be a bit tense and how I should engage her, given it was my first visit. Mdm Ho proved to be extremely amiable, and instructed me to clean her TV set. Her flat was also not the squalor I had pictured in my mind. We chatted with her for a while. She was talkative and jovial. She happily related her stories to us and was eager to offer us drinks. Later, she displayed her sense of humor when she said she wanted to inspect her TV set to ensure that the cleanliness was up to standard. She dragged a finger across her TV set ( I was reminded of bunk inspection in the army!) and found no dust on her finger. I passed! Phew~
After that, we proceeded to Mdm Tan's. Mdm Tan's flat was tidy and required only simple sweeping and mopping of the floor. Her flat was probably neater than most of our rooms! After some cleaning, we sat down to chat. Mdm Tan told us she could not see clearly and my heart went out to her. However, Mdm Tan was stronger than that and was not bogged down by her condition. She also said she is receiving treatment and naturally, all of us wish her a speedy recovery. She related to us, stories in the olden days when her family reared chickens, ducks and pigs, and how her salary of $1.50 per day could see her through because apparently, back then, you could get bean sprouts, kuehs and sweets with 5 cents, to name a few.
The visits were meaningful and I learnt a few things. I was touched to know that there are, in fact, many others out there who care for the elderly, when the elders showed me pictures of themselves with other volunteers. What I felt especially meaningful was doing those simple chores of sweeping and cleaning for them. What, to us, may be tasks easily accomplished, are beyond the elders because of their ailing bodies. A simple act to meet their needs, and they appreciate it, and they show it. Giving is simple like that. I look forward to future visits =)
Wishing the elders health and joy,
See Kiat
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