0
NASAM again
Posted by Qi...
on
23:48
I doubt, if I came for few more times, I might suddenly decided to alter my path toward adult cases lol.
The people are so welcoming and nice.
The staff professional and considerate.
The patients around are so warm and welcoming.
We are the one who supposed to approach them and initiate the interview but
instead they are the one who break the ice because we just looked so awkward lol.
They were having exercise when we came in
So we joined in and danced Oppa Gangnam, Ketchup song and My heart will go on with all these uncle auntie >.<
Awkward moments when they are more active than you lol
But the impact of stroke was obvious
Their movement are limited and some are slow and weak
Anyway, we were no better than them lol
and I'm truly tired and feel all stretch up after 15 minutes.....
Really admire all these old folks that could attend 2 hours of exercise session daily.....
Anyway, we were assigned to accompany the patients for their daily walk around the center
......because apparently, the patients treasure their exercise and qi gong time so much
that we should not take this away from them.
Meet an auntie with amazing recovery process
She had a stroke last year, left her with right side weakness and minimal speech
and now she is talking well and exercising like an aerobic trainer
because she say----我不喜欢做一半半，要做就要做全部
Although she still had difficulties in language and cannot bend nor drive
she is more active than most of us who are in our 20s
and the criteria to walk together with her is............YOU MUST WALK VERY FAST
She even advised my classmate to do more exercise lol
So I'm assigned to accompany a Popo for
She is actually not a suitable candidate for me because her stroke is just too light
What am I going to present lol......but what to do, I'm the only one who can speak Cantonese
Just kidding, I'm very glad to have the chance to chat with her <3
A popo from HongKong. So strictly Cantonese only. and little English.
The most amazing thing is, she is even 1 year older than my grandpa...1916!
I'm totally awed. I never encounter someone this age with such agility
and her face look so young! and she is able to walk so well.
So I just left the collect data mission to others and simply having routine conversation with popo,
haha....talk about family, her life, her experience :)
I think is attitude toward life that contribute toward the longevity....her personality is just like my grandma :P
She enjoy surfing Internet for news and entertainment news, reading, she even play harmonica....so very the yeng!
Really got the caring ah ma feel....oh, should give her a hug!!! and take a photo!!
Popo are so nice even invited me to join their Penang trip next Monday
I had to remind her I need to go to class when she wave me goodbye and say "see you on Monday"
There is a rule when we go visit old folks home with Tzu Chi.
Never make promises. Even if you could come but please, don't create the expectation.
You came and you left.
You thought you were doing something good but on the meantime,
you gave them hope and despair.
They like you and they thought you will come again.
But honestly, you are here just for assignment and the distance is just a little far to travel.
You will soon forgot about them and they will also forgot about visitors that came and go with false promise.
One day, they choose not to believe anymore.
They know these young people just take turns and change faces all the time
But still, they hold the same appreciation toward everyone that came and help.
The case that really wrenched my heart today is a young man.
A very young artist.
He sat at the table alone, drawing.
Amazing right? This photo did not justice to the original drawing
He gave a lot to many of us.
But whispers tell you. He had a stroke. He could not speak. Could no longer listen. Could't even read though I think doubt he could understand Chinese characters.
But he draw amazing things. He hung it all around. Gave it to visitors.
He draw with just pencil and color pencil. and with single hand.
because the other hand is so weak and so arrhythmic.
But he smile with such sincerity and purity. It is infectious.
Not even a glimmer of frustration, anger, or sadness.
Watching him walking away with a limping and twitching leg,
I feel sad and lousy.
Sad for him, because no one can talk to him.
No one who what went wrong exactly. No one was with him.
He was so eager to communicate. He gave us a signing book and ask for our names.
He signed and corrected our gestures.
He repeated his sign over and over again because we don't understand.
People assume we speech student know all the sign language but we don't. We did not learn about it.
He was so welcoming and warm and nice and even offer us gifts.
Thank you. Nice to meet you. Bye. Our words to him. After going through all the pages over and over again.
Add oil. You did a great job was my message to him. Hope he gets it.
You could do better and should do better, as a speech student.
For some, our body were meant to be a tool for us to convey our means. Container of the soul. The true functioning part.
But when the body parts refused to obey to the brain, we are just like this hot little cute duckie....out of air
You realize how little you are. How little control you had over your own body.
But still, these are lucky people.
People with good background and high awareness.
Uncle auntie with fluent business, talk better English and used to be boss, pilot, engineer....
have children that take good care of them
met a doctor that manage patients well
Or simply by chances....came to here.
Because if not by all these factors, they wouldn't have known this center.
Pathetic to say, this is the best and most well-organized center I saw before
Not to say they are not doing good enough, but as a main stroke rehabilitation in the country
With the little attention and support they received
You can imagine how other center are struggling to cope with everything
Later in the day.....
In the middle of lecture, looking through the list of professional care one with motor neuron disease need
e.g. OT, Speech, Staff nurse, medical doctor etc etc etc
In such situation, when your brain lost control and go on autopilot mode,
seriously, you must be rich enough to have all these illness.
To get access to all these services
OT charge you hundreds for an hour, Physio took another few notes.....not to mention the costly meds
If not, till death also you might not know what bring you to your grave.
Getting out of hospital, is not the end of the treatment.
It is just the beginning of the recovery, which may stretch till the end of your life.
Thanks for all these amazing high-spirited people that give us such a valuable lesson in teacher's day.
We might not meet you again but I truly wish you all the best.
