Giving warmth in a cold winter

Due to abnormal weather conditions, Hong Kong is under an extreme cold spell of a sort that has not been seen for decades. To protect the health and safety of children, the Education Bureau announced yesterday that classes of kindergartens, primary schools and schools for children with physical or intellectual disability would be suspended.

In such cold weather, we must also provide extra care for senior citizens, particularly elderly singletons. People in their old age can easily get sick in cold winters. They are also prone to injury when they get around in wet and cold weather conditions.

This morning, staff and volunteers of a social welfare organisation and I went to visit Auntie Chan, an elderly singleton living in Wah Kwai Estate, Aberdeen.

Auntie Chan, now aged 90, told me that Hong Kong had not experienced such a cold spell in over half a century. She thanked the staff and volunteers of the social welfare organisation for visiting her in the past few days to see how she was doing and care for her daily needs. She felt warm with their love and care.

Auntie Chan reminds me of my mother. Fond of quietness, my mother lived alone in her old age and dismissed every domestic helper we hired for her. One day, she held a year-end clean-up by herself in preparation for the arrival of the Chinese New Year. Already in her 80s, she alone climbed up a ladder to clean a chandelier, and accidentally fell down and broke her lower leg. Fortunately, we had left a spare key to my mother’s house with Mrs Lui, a kind-hearted neighbour living on an upper storey who often went to see my mother. Mrs Lui found that my mother was injured and called stealthily to tell us about the accident.

To avoid causing trouble to their children, some elderly people will conceal their health problems or the bad incidents that happen to them. Therefore, people who have elderly family members should visit them frequently, especially in such cold weather as this. As neighbours, we should also live out the neighbourhood spirit.

I would like to thank the government departments concerned and various social welfare organisations for helping people in need during the bad weather conditions in the past few days. I hope that you will care more about the people around you. Whether you know them or not, ask after them and show them your concern. Let us drive the chill away with love.

Video of the visit

January 25, 2016