Volunteers Help Restore Life to its Former State for Father and Son
After his mother passed away nine years ago, he and his father were left behind in this four-room HDB unit, gradually losing its original order. Tzu Chi mobilized 36 volunteers to clean up the house and repair the toilet while Othman was in the hospital so that the home with his mother's memories could be restored to its original state. The volunteers will continue to accompany the father and son to help them build and develop hygiene awareness and habits.
There were cat droppings that had dried out on the timeworn bed and the room was in disarray.
The passing away of his mother nine years ago had left this four-room HDB out of order.
In the past few years, the three cats Othman kept had also passed away one after another, leaving only him and his father in this home.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Lim Seow Lan: The care recipient is a dialysis patient while his father also has diabetes. He is unable to take care of his home and so things piled up (for 9 years) and have not been cleaned and cleared. So we proposed to clean up Othman’s house and he agreed. The father also consented to the idea after we spoke to him.
Othman was still in the hospital on that day. Accompanied by his father, volunteers started cleaning up the house.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Neo Yam Hoon: There was a bowl of porridge, it should have been there for several days. I was wearing a mask but I could smell that sour odour.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Lim Seow Lan: We got about 36 volunteers to do this because there are a lot of things to move and it takes time to clean up cat droppings that have accumulated for 10 years.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Tan Li Shang: You look at the black thing at the side, these are all ant colonies. When we were cleaning up, these nests were already hardened. When we wanted to brush the area, a huge number of ants ran out. There were also some foul odour so we had to soak it with some disinfectant liquid. We had to come out and rest for a few minutes before heading back to brush the area.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Kenny Cheong: Because the care recipient consented to us to clear everything for him, we slowly put them into garbage bags and used a shovel to clear away all the dirty stuff. We hope that his home can get better and that their living environment will be more comfortable after cleaning.
Volunteers clean while accompanying Othman's father
Tzu Chi volunteer, Lim Seow Lan: We also helped them find some furniture that they needed. Since the father was sleeping on the floor, we found him a single bed frame and a mattress. We also repaired the toilet bowl that was broken and dirty.
Father of Tzu Chi care recipient, Ponadi: The whole place is clean! We are so delighted to see that. Thank you very much.
Othman was discharged from the hospital a week later and the volunteers visited him at his home.
Tzu Chi care recipient, Othman: I am very excited to see my home very clean. When the house was not that clean. It was quite troublesome for me to walk around, because last time I kept tripping down. Now that the house is clean, I am able to move around.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Lim Seow Lan: We hope that the clean and hygienic environment can help improve their health condition. In the next home visit, we will also share with Othman how to keep his home clean and hygienic.
