Elderly Challenge - Observation 4

Yesterday I went downstairs to eat with my family, including my grandmother. She walked for only a while and felt tired already. She had to sit at a bench halfway to catch her breath. Then she told me that many of her friends also face the same problem, and that most elderly get tired very easily. She also added that when she walk and she does not have support around her, or a seat, she would bend forward so it would not be so pain. I think this is the reason why they tend to slouch and it affects their spine. Because they have been doing it for some time, it becomes a habit and the continue slouching.

There was another problem at the hawker centre. The floor was slippery and uneven. Because of that, the table keeps on moving. My grandma almost dropped her food and fall because of the slippery floor. This is the reason why my grandma hardly likes to go to hawker centers to eat. She might easily slip and get very easily tired after walking a short distance.

Elderly Challenge - Observation 3

I have not observed any new difficulties that they face. They pretty much face the same problems in their daily lives. The main problems of these elderlies are that when they enter the toilet, they might slip and fall because the floor is wet. If they fall it can cause them to be paralyzed. That was what happened to my primary school teacher. She was in her mid-fourties and she was half-paralyzed. If it was serious enough for someone in her mid--fourties, the consequences would be worst for the elderly.

Another main problem is climbing the stairs. If there was no handle to support them, they might lose their balance trip and fall. They also cannot sit for too long or else their legs would get numb and they would have difficulty trying to get up.

These are basically the main problems faced by most elderly, and the difficulties are the same over a range of different elderlies.

Holiday homework Part 1

1)-The first key recommendation in the report is creating places to stay in for the Seniors. There would be houses specially created to fulfill the needs of the elderly, and also help the elderly to manage their housing property.

-The next is a place where elderly can easily use or enter. Walkways, lifts, and transport means would be modified to make it more elderly-friendly. The would be barrier-free. The buses would be step-free, low-floor and wheelchair accessible.

-The third is caring for the elderly. Those who need medical attention can go to eldercare services in Singapore.

-The last one is creating opportunities for the elderly. The elderly would have to keep exercising habits and eating balanced diets to lead balanced lifestyles. They would also have to communicate with others and get involved with activities like community groups.

2)-In the elderly’s public housing, lifts, walkways and transport pick-up points are made accessible for the elderly. For the lifts, they would be barrier-free, and they would be upgraded.

3)-One way is that the medisave accounts of the poorer Singaporeans would be top-up when they need the money. This would help Singaporeans to meet their healthcare needs.

-Another way is that the government is planning to set up a Caregiver Centre to support families that need help through providing them with information resources and programmes.

4)-I can help organise activities for the elderly to be active, like hold an amazing race. I could task them to play these games and think about what they should do. This helps them to move around more, think more, and make them more active.

-I can help to clean their house or paint the walls. This way, they do not have to bend so much and feel tired.

-I can also teach them some ICT related things, like using the computer and chatting with other people.

Holiday homework Part 3

This room includes two cupboards, a bed, and a toilet at the bottom-left corner. The white blocks are something like railings for the elderly to hold. In the toilet there should be some as the floor might be wet and they might slip, so they need support in case their family members are not at home. Some of them their legs are rather weak and cannot walk for long, so this comes in handy. The yellow patches on the floor are towels placed on the floor. Because in the toilet the floor might be wet, the towels are to also prevent the elderly from slipping.

Elderly Challenge - Observation 2

This week I have been observing my grandma and also the people at the hawker centres near my house. There is a senior citizen’s corner, but only one or two elderly goes there and it is rather dirty because no one is maintaining it and youngsters walking around smoke and litter that area.

Like last week, they still gather everyday over a cup of drink and talk about anything that comes to their mind. Imagine drinking one cup of coffee everyday. It is not very healthy. Some elderly of my friends do not even come out everyday to socialise and get coped up at home. Because they do not come out to take a walk, they do not get exercise.

I have also been observing my aunt at home. She like to take morning and evening walks during the weekends and go to the gym during alternate weekdays. She likes the morning breeze and fresh air. She enjoys my company as well as my brother’s. Actually most elderly are rather lonely and need people to accompany them. My aunt also faces problems like when she walks past the swimming pool downstairs, she has to hold on to something or she will fall. I also notice other elderly living in the condo facing this problem.

A habit of my brother is to leave his toys lying around the house. Sometimes my aunt did not see it and accidentally trip over it. The difficulties that they face is not reacting fast enough to things happening around them.

Elderly Challenge - Observation 1

I have been observing my grandma and a few other elderlies near my house. Unfortunately my grandma does not allow me to take photos of her, so I cannot produce photos on her daily routines. The few difficulties she faced is that in the toilet, if it is slippery, she might slip and fall and have to walk very carefully. My domestic helper holds her and give her support in case she falls. Also, she put towels at the door of the toilet and outside the shower place so she would not slip if water is present.

Besides slipping, she also face another difficulty, which is walking for short distances. Walking from the hawker centre near my house back to my house takes her about five to ten minutes, and she could sweat a lot and feel very tired. I think this is normal for most elderlies, feeling tired after walking for a short distance. My domestic helper could not do much about this, and neither can anyone else.

Even though she finds it tiring to walk down to the hawker centre, she still does every morning to talk to her friends over a cup of coffee. When I observed them, they seem to be very happy to have a chance to talk about their lives at home. Because I understand the Teochew dialect, I could understand what they were talking about, and some were saying that because they are old their grandchildren or children do not really care about them and they feel rather sad.

I went to my friend’s house and observed some elderly near her house. Some are unable to walk, so their domestic helper have to help them to push the wheelchair. Some are still healthy enough and can still take strolls around and even do exercises at the exercise corner.