Chen Song Ping

Hand in hand they walk

Hand in hand they walk (poem-a senyru)

old couple walking while holding hands — Walking hand in hand (Photo by Noelle Otto on Pexels.com)

“Careful, here’s a drain,”

his shaky hands reaching out

to guide her across.

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The well-dressed couple must be in their eighties. She wore a hat with a flower. A few Asian Chinese women would do that. They both walked in tiny steps, hand in hand. I watched from my balcony near the main road.
They came across a little drain, about six inches wide. It seemed a big hurdle. It took them five minutes to cross.
The tiny, fragile-looking lady waited passively. The gentleman was fidgeting and thinking of a way to get his lady across. He finally made a ‘big’ jump across the little drain.
It was a feat for his movements and gait looked like one with Parkinson’s disease. And his lady seemed mentally-subdued.
The caretaker of the hostel said their children studied and settled overseas. The old couple prefers twilight years in the warm weather here.

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Quote:-

“I want to hold your hand when we are 80 and say “We made it”
“A perfect marriage is two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other!”

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A Morning Sonnet of “Hope”

A Morning Sonnet of “Hope”

by Prof. Khairulmaini Osman Salleh ( a former classmate of mine).

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* Why ridicule when we can show respect?
* Why fill our hearts with hate and not with love?
* Why belittle when support is more direct?
* Why seek revenge; forgiveness rises above.
* Why not extend a hand that offers aid?
* Why not be supportive and give advice?
* Why should constructive words go unsaid?
* Why not strive for growth and heed what’s wise?
* Why must we hide and shy from light’s embrace?
* Our choices shape the path that we pursue.
* All of us have the power to trace
* A life where kindness reigns and hearts stay true.
* I choose to live with happiness and grace,
* With humility and humbleness in place.

– khairulmaini –

A husband’ s definite yes is what she needed to hear

A husband’ s definite yes is what she needed to hear

The role of a husband in breast cancer treatment

Nurses the Silent Hands

Nurses the Silent Hands

by Prof. Khairulmaini Osman Salleh ( a former classmate of mine. His mother was an Assistant Nurse- Special Grade)

* In halls of healing, nurses grace their trade,
* Modern Nightingales with hearts so pure,
* With gentle hands, my mother’s care conveyed,
* In soothing words and firm resolve, secure.
* A friend from distant shores, her calling found,
* In Port Dickson’s embrace, she learned to heal,
* Her presence, solace in the pain unbound,
* A testament to her unyielding zeal.
* As age advances and frailty draws near,
* Their steadfast care becomes our guiding light,
* A world without them, fraught with doubt and fear,
* Their steadfast spirits keep the dark from sight.
* Let us extol their tireless, noble art,
* For nurses hold a special place in every heart.

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The older Prof. Khairulmaini Osman Salleh

Parkinson’s disease: Three steps forwards and two steps back

Parkinson’s disease: Three steps forwards and two steps back

Old man walking (Photo by Safa Baku0131rcu0131 on Pexels.com)

When I was a student, I met a male nurse walking a patient with Parkinson’s disease to the toilet.

“He is taking ages at the rate he is walking! It’s like taking three steps forward and two steps backward! I told him it would be faster for him to use a urinal on his bed!” Mr. Lee kept quiet at that remark. His mask-like face showed no expression. With a flexed body, he shuffled in a frustratingly slow, yet festinating gait. His thumb and forefinger rubbed in a pin-rolling tremor.

He never wet because he would request to go to the toilet earlier to avoid losing control of his bladder.

A senior walking pass, “Mr. Lee, I see you are walking and exercising. Very good, keep it up!”

Later the senior called a few of us aside, “be careful what you say! For a headmaster, to lose control over his movements can be a depressing condition. He may keep quiet, but he is sharp. He understood what you said! We need to treat patients with dignity and respect!”

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Not long ago, I met a male retired banker in a pottery class with me.

“I have Parkinson’s disease. That’s why I am here!” He was trying to slow down the progression of motor disability. And he was very creative and tidy in his pottery work!

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Research and management of people with Parkinson’s disease have improved a lot since.

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woman making clay pot — pottery work (Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com)

Fire drill… in darkness

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It was a fire on a second floor ward. Most of the patients were either comatose or bedridden.

As figures emerged from the smoky darkness in the stairs, I watched the frightened, tearful, and dishevelled soot-in-hair and uniformed nurses and staff carrying each patient on a stretcher or tied to the arms of a chair.

It struck me that fire drills had never, never ever been done in total darkness! The drills were always carried out in brightly lit departments.

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“… According to the travel expert, it is essential to “always count the number of doors to the exit stairwell”, Cici said on a recent TikTok video.

This is in case there is a fire and “it is too dark or smoky” for hotel guests to see where the exits are.”…

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Have you ever participated in a fire drill with all the lights out?…in total darkness?

… something to think about!

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Blogging: I run my race

strong senior sportsman preparing for competition in racing

Blogging: I run my race

Blogging is like running 
but running a race? 
I paused, I sweated,
feet apart, panting, 
and watching others 
... forging ahead.

Jane Trombley wonders
about the paucity of 
baby-boomer bloggers
and her generation's 'voice'.

A counselor opines
that blogging feeds wellness!
Is blogging a new way of coping
for some?

Of course, 
many baby-boomer bloggers
have joined the run.
but, are they running
the same race,
the same pace,
for the same goals?

Quotes:
1. Baby Boomer Bloggers: Are you out there? - Jane Trombley
2. Blogging feeds wellness!- Beth Moore
3. "Coping through blogging..." - Petko D. et al.