Visit to Mdm Chow Moi! :)

Hi everyone! :D

On 15 September, I went with the seniors (Yi'an, Shawn and Pei Jen) and freshies (Kok Seng, Shurui, Ling Yun, Edward, Kenny and Geraldine) to visit Mdm Chow Moi. It was my first visit to T.H.E. Seniors and I was rather excited, wondering what it would be like to interact with the elderly. As Mdm Chow Moi's house was quite clean, we didn't do housework but interacted with her.

Mdm Chow Moi is a friendly and cheerful old lady. She was all smiles when she opened the door and asked us to sit on the chairs repeatedly. As there were many volunteers, we sat on the floor with Mdm Chow Moi sitting on the chair. It feels like a storytelling session in primary school whereby Mdm Chow Moi is like my teacher who tells me stories. ^^

Our 'storytelling session' with Madam Chow Moi

I was quite surprised when I found out that Mdm Chow Moi is already 92 years old as she looked quite strong and healthy for her age. This could be due to Mdm Chow Moi working in the labour sector in the past. At one point, Mdm Chow Moi mentioned that she was old and not as useful and I felt sad when I heard her say this. I feel that she and the other elderly of her age are the 'gems' of the society as they have worked hard to contribute to the success of Singapore today and they should not be feeling this way. Instead, they should be happy and enjoying their golden years.:)

Mdm Chow Moi also shared with us her daily life. She says she loves to eat rice. Hahas, when I asked her what she ate everyday she told to me smilingly “Eat rice lor!”, straight in my face which is very funny. Mdm Chow Moi will drink coffee or milo in the morning and she will cook when there is no food provided for her. Her lifestyle is quite carefree. She told us that she will sleep when she feels like sleeping and she watches TV and listen to its songs when she remembers.

However, I was thinking if Mdm Chow Moi will feel bored and worry about how to spend her time at times amidst this carefree lifestyle. Mdm Chow Moi seldom goes out by herself nowadays as she tends to feel giddy. Occasionally, she will stand by the window sill and observe the people on the ground floor. Does Mdm Chow Moi feel a tinge of loneliness when she is alone at home? Luckily, there are organisations which organises outings to allow interaction between elderly. The photos which Mdm Chow Moi showed us were about her outings with the other elderly and she looked happy inside.:)

Geraldine interacting with Madam Chow Moi in Cantonese

At the end of the visit, I find Madam Chow Moi a very cute and friendly elderly with her heartwarming smile. Initially, there were some language barrier present between us but it was not much of problem when Geraldine, who can speak Cantonese fluently came to aid in our interaction with Madam Chow Moi. I enjoyed this visit and I hope that I will be able to make good use of every future visit to add colours to the lives of the elderly in my own little ways. ^^

-Kah Suan