On 4 October 2014, Tzu Chi volunteers arrived at Grandpa Lim’s unit to give it a thorough sprucing up.（Photo by Pua Poo Toong）
“Grandpa, have you taken breakfast?”the interaction between medical volunteer Zhang Ai Ping and Grandpa Lim takes place on paper, without any verbal exchange. Upon seeing him wave his hands in the negative, Zhang immediately hands him the bread and milk she brought, so that he could sit along the corridors and eat his first meal of the day.
Grandpa Lim has lived in his one-bedroom flat in Bukit Merah View for years. His small unit does not usually see many visitors, but today, a total of 23 volunteers from Tzu Chi have arrived at his doorstep. Apart from this being a care visit, Tzu Chi volunteers also came to carry out a thorough cleaning and redecoration of his flat, so that Grandpa Lim could have more comfortable and safer living quarters.
Volunteer Lin Jin Yan arranges for Grandpa Lim to sit down at the flat’s corridor and have some milk and bread after finding out that he had not had any breakfast. （Photo by Pua Poo Toong）
Customized Care to Suit an Elderly’s Needs
Grandpa Lim who is already 82 years old, is an example of an elderly person living alone which Tzu Chi provides with home care services. He has lost all hearing in both ears and is blind in one eye. On top of these problems, he has mild dementia and suffers from liver cirrhosis. As he cannot move around easily and his memory is failing, Grandpa Lim can only communicate with others through simple hand gestures and written words, making daily living a chore.
In 2014, Tzu Chi and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) worked together to launch the “Home Care Services” initiative for the benefit of the impoverished sick in the community requiring long-term medical care and follow up services. Grandpa Lim’s case was referred to Tzu Chi by the AIC and medical volunteers would visit him every three to four days to check on his health and medical needs. Through these visits, they began to get a better understanding of his daily habits and needs.
Grandpa Lim needs to take five different types of medication daily but this poses a difficulty for him as his memory is not good. The medical volunteers pondered over this and came up with the idea of packaging the medications in transparent packs for his day-by-day consumption, and put up reminders for each day indicating the consumption dates and times clearly.
Volunteers also consulted Dr. Lin Wen Hao before mixing the day and night time dosages together for Grandpa Lim’s one-time consumption. By empathizing with the difficulties that care recipients face, and creatively tailoring the assistance rendered to them by considering their needs, recipients like Grandpa Lim receive physical and spiritual care that warms their hearts. Tzu Chi home care services manager Lin Jin Yan says with emotion: “Treating their illnesses comprises 60% (of the care that recipients receive) but there is still another 40% that is made up of the concern you show them. Of upmost importance is to treat their spiritual needs, (we) must listen to what they have to say.”
At every visit, medical volunteers would administer medical services and dispense necessary advice, aside from also helping with simple cleaning tasks in Grandpa Lim’s flat. However with the passing of time, Tzu Chi volunteers observed that his flat could benefit from a big clean up. Old items and expired food were accumulating in the house and cabinets, the walls were getting mottled with stains, dust and dirt was collecting in the crevices of the windows, doors and toilet, and his mattress too, was looking the worse for wear.
In September, after they obtained permission from Grandpa Lim, they spent a month in preparation for the task; detergent, cleaning and painting tools were purchased. To ensure that the paint would dry fast, volunteers even purchased an eco-friendly emulsion paint. They also coordinated with the elder care centre personnel at Grandpa Lim’s block to ensure that the redecoration of his unit would proceed smoothly.
Tzu Chi volunteers would visit Grandpa Lim every three to four days and were very familiar with his daily habits. They even devised a way in which to help him take his medications in a timely manner by pasting up reminders on his wall. （Photo by Pua Poo Toong）
Respecting Occupants’Needs While Improving Their Environment
At 8.45am on 4 October 2014, volunteers met at the Tzu Chi Free Clinic for a briefing before heading off with their tools in an orderly manner to Grandpa Lim’s flat.
Leader Lin Jin Yan and volunteer Zhang Ai Ping knew that it was Grandpa Lim’s habit to head for the elder care centre at the second level of the block after he had woken up. They went there to look for him and also informed the personnel there of the day’s activity in Grandpa Lim’s flat.
As volunteers saw Grandpa Lim slowly walk over to his flat with the help of another volunteer, their voices rang out in greeting. Zhang then proceeded to inform him of the day’s cleaning activity via writing, and asked if he had taken breakfast. As Grandpa Lim waved his hand in the negative, she immediately poured out some milk and handed him some bread before settling him down in the corridor.
Zhang allocated the tasks among volunteers who already had a basic understanding of the needs of Grandpa Lim’s unit. Some were tasked with cleaning the kitchen and toilet, others would clean the hall and remove clutter, while still others got to work painting the walls. There was even a volunteer who was in charge of writing notes to Grandpa Lim to seek his permission on any changes that were to be made!
Zhang and a few volunteers who had visited him often in the past had the most complicated task—arranging his clothes and also the various rings and decorative small stones he had in his possession. “First a picture will be taken of the original state of things, then after cleaning and washing, we would arrange them back in order.” Li Shu Xue, the photographer for the task ensured that everything from the bed coverings to the small towels and even fast-expiring food items would have to go through Grandpa Lim’s approval before any action was taken.
Lin allocates the various tasks of cleaning and sprucing up the unit among volunteers, even designating one person to seek Grandpa Lim’s permission for any changes via handwritten notes! (Photo by Tong Yong Wei)
Volunteer Zhang Ai Ping would seek Grandpa Lim’s agreement on any changes to be made, from changing the bed covers to arranging miscellaneous items. (Photo by Tong Yong Wei)
“The last time I ever painted a wall was when I was a little over 10 years old. Now I can hold a brush more easily but I’m not very good at this,” said Shen Jian Ping who was perspiring profusely. Together with other volunteers, he worked hard at painting the walls and also consulted the experienced volunteers whenever he faced a problem.
Yao Zhi Qiong too was perspiring profusely. Though a first-timer in a house cleaning endeavour of this type, she worked deftly and diligently, scrubbing away at the stains on the tiles till they shone. “Since (we are) engaged in this task, (we should) go all out, what more (when we consider that) to help others is a source of happiness.”
Volunteer Yao Zhi Qiong who was participating in such an endeavor for the very first time was deft with her actions and very focused at her task as she vigorously scoured the tiles of stains. (Photo by Tong Yong Wei)
Zhu Bao Xin a physiotherapist by profession, finished working on the walls and proceeded to squat on the floor to scrub away with vigor. Saying with a smile that he was not tired at all, he even remarked that with so many people cleaning one unit, the work would be done in no time.
He proceeded to say, “Though on the surface this activity appears to be helping Grandpa Lim clean up his house, but to me it is a form of spiritual cleansing for the soul. Recently I was faced with many troubles at work so by setting aside time to come today, I am simultaneously cleaning away the dross in my heart.”
During the process, Grandpa Lim would frequently walk over and take a peek at the doorway. Seeing everyone hard at work, he would then smilingly return to his sitting spot. After the bed was newly made up with new sheets, volunteer Lin “asked” him if he felt happy. Grandpa Lim beamed brilliantly and nodded his head. He even took the pen from Zhang and signed his name, evoking laughter from the rest of the volunteers.
A physiotherapist by profession, Zhu Bao Xin describes the cleaning activity as being a spiritual cleansing for her soul as well. （Photo by Pua Poo Toong）
After changing the bed covers for Grandpa Lim, volunteer Lin enquires if he is happy about it by scribbling down the words on her notebook. After smiling and nodding in the affirmative, he even signs his name on her note.（Photo by Pua Poo Toong）
Bringing Comfort to Elders
After close to five hours spent sprucing up the unit, medical volunteers supported Grandpa Lim as he slowly walked back to him “brand new” home. His face wreathed in smiles, Grandpa Lim sat on his newly made bed. As team leader of the volunteers Lin Jin Yan puts it as she gazed at him, “When we clean up (the unit) for Grandpa Lim, he is happy; we all feel happy when he does.”
Across the island of Singapore, there are many cases similar to that of Grandpa Lim in the various communities. Lin says with deep feeling, “An elderly person living alone is a problem because most of them cannot take care of themselves. Therefore we will help out however much we can.”
In order to help Grandpa Lim know of visitors in a timely manner, Zhang bought a doorbell device which flashes with multiple colours for him. She wrote in her “communication notebook” to Grandpa Lim: “Grandpa, do you see the lights flashing? That means we have come to visit and are outside waiting for you to open the door.” In response, Grandpa Lim immediately nodded his head.
At the conclusion of the day’s endeavours, volunteers arranged Grandpa Lim’s clothes back into his wardrobe and put the food items back into their original positions inside the kitchen cabinets and onto the dining table. They also ensured that updated reminders were pasted up on the walls and new packets of his medications were pre-packed for his consumption.
As they prepared to leave, it was already time for Grandpa Lim to have lunch. However, he insisted on seeing everyone off before sitting down to lunch. In consideration of his feelings, volunteers made haste to pack up. Their hearts touched by the day’s events, everyone then bade Grandpa Lim goodbye.
Volunteer Zhang Ai Ping bought a new doorbell device for Grandpa Lim which would flash with various colours when someone was at the door. After explaining how it worked to him, he immediately nodded his head to show he understood. （Photo by Pua Poo Toong）
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