Elderly services have always been one of the core services of Le Shan Tang. The Neighbourhood Centre under its jurisdiction is dedicated to helping the elderly lead a meaningful and diverse life of silver age.
Sister Zhen is an elderly volunteer at the Yin Liqiang Neighbourhood Centre for the Elderly in Leshantang. She is 79 years old and has actively participated in the activities of the centre after retiring, including social dancing.
Sister Zhen likes volunteering very much. Every time there is a volunteer activity in the center, she must sign up to participate. Over the years, she has visited more than one hundred elderly households.
Because of her straightforward and cheerful personality, she made some good friends.
"Volunteering can not only help others, but also make yourself happy; broaden your social circle, add value to yourself, and make your later life more fulfilling and meaningful. Why not do it?" Sister Zhen said.
Sister Zhen (first from right) likes to be a volunteer very much. Every time there is a volunteer activity in the center, she must sign up for it.
Sister Zhen (left) is straightforward, cheerful, lively and active, and she dances well, performing at the center's anniversary party.
Volunteer work regardless of age or gender, just a passionate heart.
Sister Zhen has been a volunteer in Le Shantang for more than ten years and has visited elderly people of different ages.
When faced with the negative emotions of the visiting objects, including physical illness or complaining of dissatisfaction with reality, Sister Zhen will calm down and listen to them.
She would persuade them to "think about something happy", "face positively" and so on.
"Being a volunteer allows me to learn to communicate with different people, share each other's life experiences and stories, and deliver positive messages. It is really a very good learning process." Sister Zhen said.
Sister Zhen (second from right in the front row) and young people participate in visits to the elderly, sharing life experiences and stories with each other, and promoting communion between the two generations.
From "helper" to "recipient"
An incident in Sister Zhen’s home last year made her lose her position. At this moment, she realized how heartbreaking the difficulties and problems faced by the elderly who had been visiting.
The reason is that Sister Zhen’s husband suffered from early dementia. At first, her daily life was not affected much. However, once she returned home, she found that her husband had not returned home until late at night.
As he did not carry a mobile phone, Sister Zhen could not contact him, and no one knew the whereabouts of her husband.
Sister Zhen felt very helpless at that moment, worried about her husband getting lost or encountering some accident.
She always thought that her husband could take care of herself independently, and felt guilty for not being able to detect the development of her husband's condition early.
Fortunately, she received a notice from the building manager the next morning that she learned that her husband had returned home and downstairs, but was in poor mental state and needed to be sent to the hospital for treatment immediately.
After that, her husband's condition worsened sharply. As patients with dementia needed a high degree of attention, the day and night care work overwhelmed the nearly 80-year-old sister Zhen, and her health gradually deteriorated.
Not only did she have no time to go to the center to participate in any activities, but also no time to rest. The pressure of taking care of her became more and more stressful. Her emotions and the relationship with her family were also negatively affected. Sister Zhen was awakened from her past volunteer service experience and could not continue like this. Need to find a way to solve it. Sister Zhen knows that what can help her right now is the "center."
Live again, really enjoy the new life
Colleagues from the center have set up a detailed long-term care plan for Sister Zhen’s husband.
Since Sister Zhen’s physical condition is not suitable for taking care of her husband alone, and her family members can hardly provide assistance, the center arranges for Sister Zhen’s husband to live in a home. Life.
In the institution, the husband has a fixed schedule and cognitive training, and the situation has improved greatly.
Thanks to the assistance of the home, the pressure of Sister Zhen's care has been greatly relieved, and she can reserve time for herself and other family members.
The most important thing is that their quality of life can be improved, and they can live the life they want, continue to volunteer at the center and maintain their interests and social interactions; they can also participate in the activities of the Leshantang Elder Academy, including science courses, indoor hard-wearing Boccia and so on.
Sister Zhen is very grateful to a group of patience and caring colleagues and other elderly volunteers for their assistance and support.
Sister Zhen (third from the left in the front row) returned to school to participate in the science courses of the Leshantang Elder Academy and attend classes with a group of young people, embodying the spirit of "live and learn".
Sister Zhen is a member of the indoor boccia team of Leshantang Elder Academy.
Last year, she represented the Academy and stood out from the 80 participating teams and won the runner-up in the Hong Kong Elderly Boccia Competition.
Sister Zhen (left) received the commendation at the Recognition Ceremony of Leshantang Elder Academy.
Life affects life
Now that Sister Zhen's life is back on track, she has regained her role as a volunteer.
As Zhen Jie has a thorough understanding of the caregiver's work and the arduousness of the caregiving work, she understands the caregiver's hard work and difficulties even more.
Her comforting words have also changed. Apart from sharing her experience with her fellow travelers, Sister Zhen also knows how to encourage the elderly to ask for help when they need it.
"If there is a problem that you don't understand and cannot be solved, you can go directly to the center to discuss with the girls. They can definitely help everyone and think of a good solution. Don't bury yourself." She often encourages others to say.
I believe that everyone will encounter difficulties, but the most important thing is that when encountering difficulties, don't be afraid to ask for help, and discuss and talk with reliable people.
All Elderly Services Clubs of Leshantang adhere to the principle of “Going with Joy”, provide appropriate support services, work with the elderly to tide over the difficulties, and help them "live out of themselves" and continue to live a brilliant life.
Lok Sin Tong Yin Liqiang Neighbourhood Centre for the Elderly
Address:
G/F,
Block 10, Tsuen King Garden, Tsuen Wan
Enquiry Tel: 2498 3335
If you want to donate to support Lok Sin Tong, Kowloon, please click the following link:
https://www.loksintong.org/online-donation
(Information and photos provided by the customer)