How the elderly aged gracefully in another culture, translated…
Awhile ago, I’d gone to a clinic to get my blood drawn, and saw a posted notice, “Looking for Individuals to Visit Elderly Who Lived Alone”. I’d written down the website, and searched for it on Google when I got home, and found that the church that was five stations away from where I live was a volunteer center, and that there was a course offered there that very afternoon, open to the public. After I’d read up on the information, I’d decided, to attend.
illustration from the papers online…
That day as I entered into the door, a woman saw that I was a first-timer, she’d immediately greeted me, I’d stated my name, and why I was, there, she’d ushered me into the room, and, told me that the crafts and English conversations classes, and found a seat for me by the couch, and had me entered into their lunch group. Other than the long table by the window, there were, another row of long tables, two round ones, with the placement settings, the mugs, the spoons, the knives, and a napkin for each, there were baskets of bread on the tables, the butter dishes, and the coffee pots; and even if it was during the daytime, the candles were, lit. There were, white-haired, elderly women there, and, only a few elderly gents had, gone in and out, busied themselves to and from the kitchens. The elderly women who sat in my table started asking questions, “Where are you from?”, etc., etc., etc.
“Taiwan? It used to be call ‘Formosa’, wasn’t it?” “Formosa, such a beautiful name, it must be a pretty place………” they’d started, chiming on and on, and we’d become, connected, quickly enough. Mrs. Inge on my right is eighty-six years old, with her hair all white, but still, quite healthy, she’d started to, mention her husband who’d died three years ago, how he’d fractured his spine at work, and became a paraplegic. “I was only thirty-eight, I was so stressed, my hair turned all white overnight.” I’d opened up my wide, and looked closely, at this Norwegian version of the man in the Chinese historic tales, so, your hair can turn all white overnight, it’s not, just a tall-tale then.
living their elderly years independently in a nursing home…photo from online…
I’d quickly understood, that his lunch that only cost just 30 noks (roughly $120N.T.s), provided the elderly population with the socialization they’d needed. The meals were all prepared by the volunteers, some of the elderly would come by once a week, and have a cup of coffee, then, they’re, off; some played cards after lunch. some started in the handicraft lessons; some hosted the conversation classes, to give free opportunity to the immigrants to practice the language. It’s a wonder, that after the lunch, a lot of the immigrated people started, coming in. Before I left, I’d waved goodbye to Carrie, who was working on her arts and crafts. She said, on “the visiting volunteers to elderly who lived alone”, they’d needed to consult the workers in the system, she hoped to see me again. On the way home, I’d laughed on how I’d not gone to do what I set out to do, but instead, I’d, “barged in, to the camp of the elderly populations”, and saw how some of the elderly ladies live their own lives, and managed themselves well. I hope, that when I’m their age, I get to be just like them, independent, and live my days to their fullest potentials until the very end of life too.
And so, this service provided by the local government gives the elderly who live alone a chance to get together weekly, to socialize, so they keep up their abilities in living life on their own, and this is a good system we can take from, but, because the nursing homes for the elderly in Taiwan are mainly for those who needed around the clock care, who could no longer, take care of themselves, that is why, there’s, this huge difference in the systems of elderly care here compared to elsewhere.