15 September 2012 - With Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, Hubby and I decided to bring some mooncakes to the old folks at Persatuan Rumah Warga Emas Klang. We arrived just in time for their tea-time and Hubby took up the task of cutting the mooncakes while sons and I served them to the elderly folks. The Chinese welcomed it with a sense of déjà vu and even the Indians seem enjoy it as well and asked for seconds. Hubby's generosity ensured that all had their fill and even some extras to keep the next day. It sank upon us that most elderly folks in the Home has lost their sense of time and dates, judging from the Chinese uncles’ reaction, who claim that they are unaware it is already the eight lunar month and Mid-Autumn festival will be celebrated in a fortnight’s time.
Surprisingly, most of the elderly folks there have remarkably good memory in other areas, such as they can remember us, the last time we visited and what we brought for them. Few uncles remarked that we have not visited them for some time already, our last visit should be in June. A few, upon seeing us, asked for “pau”, which is what we brought on our last visit. Most remembered Hubby for the minyak angin and tiger balm he gave them and one by one approached him for it. As usual, Hubby’s stock ran out fast but being the kind-hearted guy he is, he went out to a nearby shop to get some more because he did not want to disappoint any of them. Even the usually prickly uncle has warmed up to us and reached out his hands to greet us, a very encouraging sign indeed. Soon, he got Hubby engaged in a one-sided conversation like old friends … one-sided cause Hubby couldn’t understand him at all, haha.
One elderly uncle who was admitted to the Home few days before our last visit due to a serious road accident which left him with broken arms and legs, happily informed us that he just had the screws on his hand and leg removed but the steel plate is still intact. There was also a grim news that greeted us as one of the elderly uncle suffered a stroke relapse which rendered him partially paralysed. The Caretaker herself is not spared from pains and aches due to old age and finding it increasingly tiring to take care of these elderly folks, but luckily she still has a daughter to help her out and the able-bodied elderly folks will also lend a hand in taking care of the others.
Taking a backseat for a moment, I watched the elderly folks pass their time, some chit-chatting with each other, some sitting alone, the expressions on their faces held loneliness and sadness. Whenever I bade my farewell to them, I will caress their faces and give them a hug, seemingly small gesture but one I hope could just give them some small comfort.
16 September 2012 - Malaysia Day, a day for Malaysians, what better way to celebrate this than remembering the abandoned and the forgotten citizens of this country? Thus, we set out to send few bags of rice and mooncakes to Pusat Jagaan Beribuan Kasih in Kajang.
The kids had just returned from the temple and despite having a full stomach, they still went for the mooncakes we brought. They too seem to love it. There is an elderly Japanese lady there, who is unable to walk or eat without assistance, who looks so happy each time we visit. As I fed her a piece of mooncake, tears stream down her face ... the saltiness of tears mingled with the sweetness of the mooncake - a sad combination indeed.
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