10 December 2011 - A leisurely Saturday morning drive along the scenic country road with dear Hubby and Junior No. 3 ended up in Pusat Jagaan Beribuan Kasih, Kajang. It was an impromptu visit to deliver some souvenirs which we brought back from Penang for a few of the old folks there.
On arrival, we were greeted by news that Kavitha had to bring one of the resident who developed high fever to Hospital. Aunty Jane, as she is fondly known, is one of the Home’s relatively new resident who just moved there about 3 weeks ago. She is a kidney patient who undergoes dialysis 3 times a week and has already lost sensation in both her feet. In our previous encounter, she had asked for a mantra bead bracelet and we manage to get her one in Penang, but sadly unable to give it to her today.
After a few visits, the kids and the old folks there have begun to warm up to us easily. As in all my visits, I will seek out each old folk to greet them, spending a minute or two enquiring about their healt and well-being, but today my time and attention lingered longer on an old Japanese woman who we were told were abandoned by her son. Till now we do not know the real sad tale that surrounds this lady as she can only communicate in her native language. We were just told that she was abandoned in the Hospital and a Good Samaritan approached Kavitha to take her in. She is unable to walk on her own or control her bladder and spend a good part of her day sitting alone in a chair. In the past visits, when Hubby or I greet her, she will place her hands on her knees and bow in return, muttering a greeting in Japanese. But today she took me by surprise when upon seeing me, she grip my hands and broke down in tears. A fellow resident explained that she had been missing her family badly for the past few days and my presence and concern reminds her of them. I feel so sad for her and after wiping away her tears, I took the piece of bread from her wobbly hands and fed her myself. Each mouthful leaves behind globs of peanut butter as she is unable to control her oral muscles well. Drinking tea is another messy affair. Luckily, I have some wet tissues which took care of the above situation. After finishing her meal, she showed me her hands and muttered something which I’m unable to understand. Another lady resident stepped in to explain that she wanted her finger-nails cut. Obligingly, I attended to her request, only to find that her finger-nails were already shortly trimmed. Looking up at her expectant face, I did not have the heart to disappoint her so I made some cutting motion on her nails and she was happily satisfied. It dawned on me that maybe she just wanted to be touched, so I held and caressed her hands. Language may be barrier between us but I hoped that I can relay some warmth and comfort to her in this way.
Hubby, on the other hand, seem to be getting on well with the old uncles there. We found out about the Home’s latest additions, three young Indian siblings whose father had passed away recently and their mother had to give them up cause unable to support them. A sad plight... Hubby always ask me to look on the brighter side and be comforted in the knowledge that these kids may be better off in Homes rather than going hungry and cold out in the streets. This fact does carry weight to a certain extent, but then their fate still tugs at my heartstring.
Much to our surprise, a few senior residents there tells of a contrasting story to the norm which we often hear about old folks’ plight in Homes. Contrary to the typical sad tales, these two old men and an old lady told us that they ended up there on their own accord. They voluntarily sought out this Home to stay despite having kids who are on good terms with them and do visit regularly. Each of them has his or her own reason for opting to stay in a Home instead of with their kids, but they do not stake claim to being abandoned by their kids. When talking about their life or their kids, they seem happy and there is no sense of grudge in their manner.
It turn out that MAXIS had organised a lunch and mini-carnival for this Home that day. Their Group started to arrive around noon which saw a lorry unloading a new sofa set and kitchen cabinet, while other staff brought in some groceries. We were happy to learn that apart from these, this group of Angels from MAXIS had managed to raise RM10k to assist in settling the balance of the purchase price for this building. Bless their hearts, their kind and timely gesture has enabled Pusat Jagaan Beribuan Kasih to own this building before the year end. Now they will have a place to call their own, something truly worth rejoicing over. Maybe Kavitha is right after all, if one’s intention is pure and sincere, help will appear to carry one across each hurdle…
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