Joyful Aging-Embracing the Beauty of Life Together

On this beautiful day, we visited Grandpa at the facility, but he began to weep…

As we wheeled Grandpa outside to bask in the sunlight, he suddenly began to cry, as if he was recalling some sad memory. We rushed to comfort and console him. Although Grandpa’s speech was impaired by dementia and we could barely hear him, we could still make out him saying, "Thank you for visiting me. Fortunately, I still have you guys..."

Grandpa Lin, who used to live alone in a rented apartment, once worked as a driver for the Health Bureau in his prime. As he aged, he faced multiple health challenges, including the severe effects of two strokes that greatly affected his mobility and speech. Upon learning of his situation, Hondao initiated meal delivery services to address his concerns about food and arranged appropriate long-term care services. However, due to dementia, Grandpa had completely lost the ability to care for himself and often had to crawl up and down the stairs. Additionally, we discovered that he may have been scammed by someone he knew.

To ensure Grandpa's well-being and financial security, Hondao assumed the legal role of his "guardian," effectively becoming his family despite having no blood ties. Hondao's social workers facilitated his move into a suitable facility where professionals could attend to his daily needs. Every month, Hondao's social workers would bring essential items to the facility, check on Grandpa, and spend time chatting with him to ensure both his financial stability and emotional well-being.

This is Hondao's Chenggong Community Center, located in the Dali District of Taichung. Starting this year, we've begun introducing our older adults to the game of Rummikub. Initially puzzled and overwhelmed by the intricacies of the rules, the seniors joked, "Just seeing Rummikub gives me a headache." However, they've become so familiar with the rules now that they almost play like pros. Sometimes they even ask to play a round of Rummikub before the classes start.

In reality, many of the older adults who come to the community center have never played board games, seeing them as activities for children. They prioritize physical exercises over mental challenges. However, keeping our brains active and healthy is also very important. Therefore, our social workers have introduced board game classes, aiming to encourage our older adults to participate not only in physical activities but also in brain exercises.