I think all of us are familiar with the tv3 program called "Bersamamu" that featured hard core poor of our country every week. I'm not sure if the program is still going on. I don't know if all of us have the empathy towards the people featured in the program, because I'm sure we all have some reservations towards reality programs on tv.
But today I met one lady whom I think would have qualified to be in the program. She is 63 years old. She lives alone, her husband passed away 20 years ago. They had no kids.
She has multiple chronic illnesses namely diabetes, hypertension, heart failure and knee osteoarthritis. Because of her painful knees and also her failing heart she can't walk far- she will become breathless. Since she is living alone, she has to cook herself. The task of preparing herself a meal is quite troublesome. She walks to the kitchen, and this requires a few stops ( to catch her breaths). At the kitchen she will do everything while sitting, and she tries to cook big batches for the next day too. After cooking she would rest, and only maybe tidy up the kitchen after she rest for few hours. She always choose to just cook jemput-jemput for breakfast and dinner as it is easy to prepare (how can we control her diabetes with that? and how can she be healthy with unnutricious meal like that?).
She has no helpful neighbour. Her nearest relative lives 20 km away (her elder brother) who comes twice a week to bring her groceries and also bring her for dr's appointments. Once she fell in the bathroom and hurt her back. Unable to get up, she had to stay in the bathroom for 2 days until her brother came and found her. Hungry and cold, she was hospitalized for a week.
Today when I saw her in the clinic, both her legs are swollen because of her failing heart. I had to give her some diuretics (to pump out all the water in her body) to reduce the swelling. I actually felt bad because with this medicine she will have to go to the toilet every 1-2 hours to pee.
You might be thinking what is her financial source. She receives RM 290 from Jabatan Kebajikan masyarakat and dry provisions worth RM 80 from Baitulmal. Her trip to our hospital will cost her precious RM20 for every visit. When she told me this I was actually thinking of the dinner our family had last week at a 5 star resort on my father's birthday where we spent close to the amount she gets for the whole month.
The condition of her house? I don't know but she is staying in her 'rumah pusaka' which I think must be an old kampung house. She told me her nephew did come to the house to do some repairs few months ago.
So that's a true story of one lady in a remote place in rural Malaysia. I have others, but I'll save those for next time.
6 comments:
Ala sedihnya. Ada cara ke nak tolong, Wati? Will think of this bila nak komplen anything.
i'm thinking of rumah orang-orang tua. cukup tak 370/mth utk tampung expenditures? sometimes kita kesian tengok orang tua kat old folks home, kesian kalau anak2 ada tp none sanggup jaga, tapi kalau mmg kes sebtg kara cam ni, eloklah kalau duduk somewhere where ada org tolong masakkan, jaga kebajikan etc. kawan-kawan lain pun ada, taklah lonely...
kakreen and mynie- yes i think its best she lives in a care home, will write to jkm on her behalf for this insyaAllah, (if she agrees). sometimes they prefer to stay in their own rumah pusaka
Doc,
As you mentioned in your last sentence, memang banyak cerita yang macam ini... orang-orang tua yang hidup bersendirian dalam kesusahan. It would be great if we can help all of them, tapi apa kan daya..
Sometimes we wonder if the authorities are doing enough, but then again there is no point in just complaining. Well should try to help out any little bit that we can. I'm happy to note that you will be communicating with JKM on her behalf. Hopefully things will work out for the better.
It is easy to say we all can do our bits. But how much will those bits do in the long run? You are fortunate to have the opportunity to see this side of the story because of your profession. The years I have spent with children around me, and with the orphanage, have given me a window to see the picture from the education side and the future these children have.
If only, I repeat if, the people oficially paid to do the job perform their duties, we can then hope to see some light at the end of the tunnel. We have Welfare Dept and we have the YBs,, at state and parliamrntary level but do we see them busy taking up and solving these cases? I have come to 19th year of my lonely battle and I am yet to see a YB showing interest.
You express your sentiment in your blog and I do the same, knowing fully well that the people who ought to know are not likely to be intterested. Such is life.
mr Oldstock and Pakcik Hassan,
I honestly think that the JKM has done a lot of work in my area, its just that for this particular lady, the drop in her health level is quite recent, I think the news has not reach them yet.
The JKM here is quite fast in dealing with more critical/ urgent cases eg unwanted babies, teenage pregnancies, but they do lag in elderly cases and john doe cases.. I guess they have their own way of prioritizing matters
As for the YBs.. we have YBs coming only when invited to ceremonies or nearing Hari Raya time when they will visit the patients in the ward giving them raya goodies- with press/ reporters present of course, but I know of one particular young YB here, from Merlimau i think, who has been coming to visit sick elderlies from his community, wearing plain clothes with no entourage whatsoever, and behave just like any other ordinary man (i must note here that regular YBs like to be known and adressed to by the staffs and expect lengthy explainationregarding the illness whoever they are visiting)
we all have to do our bits, maybe sometimes it appears futile, but in the end we all know every little thing counts....
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