City leaders visited and presented gifts to elderly women living at the Hue City Nursing and Care Center for Meritorious People on the occasion of the War Invalids and Martyrs Day.

No more loneliness in old age

At nearly 11am, the familiar voice of the catering lady rang out from the dining area: "Grandma's, it's time for lunch!". Just a few minutes later, Mrs. Dang, Mrs. Chau, Mrs. Kieu, Mrs. Bi... were all happily sitting at the dining table. In front of each person was a portion of lunch contained in a neat and clean three-compartment mug. The meal had enough rice, vegetables, meat, fish, and eggs. For each meal, the catering department and the kitchen planned a menu according to the nutritional regimen, preferences, and health status of each elderly person.

"The kitchen staff changes the menu regularly, so every meal is delicious. I choose to eat two main meals, and for breakfast I buy whatever I want. With the subsidy, I have enough to spend," said Hoang Thi Kieu, who has lived at the Center for more than 22 years.

Mrs. Tran Thi Hang, 82 years old, in Tay Loc ward (now Phu Xuan ward) is jokingly called "busy old lady" by everyone. After more than 30 years working at the Center, she still regularly goes to Tay Loc market to repair clothes, a job she has been doing since she was young. "Despite her old age, she is still alert, her eyes are still bright, her hands are still skillful, so she wants to continue working. She is happy because when she goes to the market, she has both her professional friends and friends at the Center to talk to. There were several times when she was sick and couldn't go to the market, the tailors came to the Center to visit her," said Mr. Nguyen Si Que, Deputy Director of the Center.

Each person who comes to the Center has a different life story, but they all share the same loss and loneliness. The story of Mrs. Le Thi Dang, nearly 90 years old, from Quang Thai commune (now Dan Dien commune), makes listeners choke up. Her husband died, her only son died at the age of 15, she lived quietly alone until the Center took her in.

"I recently fell down. If I were still alone in the countryside, I would have followed my husband and children. Thanks to the Center, someone discovered me in time, took me to the hospital, and took good care of me. For seven months, I was bedridden because of a broken leg, and was "served food and water". Yet, sometimes I still felt bad and blamed the uncles and aunts. Thinking back, I feel sorry and grateful for the uncles and aunts at the Center who took good care of me without a word of complaint," said Ms. Dang emotionally.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hong, 91 years old, from Dien Hoa commune (now Phong Phu ward) has also been a familiar face at the Center for nearly three decades. Although she can still take care of her personal life, her health has declined and her memory is poor, so in recent years, Mrs. Hong has been taking medicine regularly all year round. There were times when her illness became serious, she was transferred to another hospital for treatment, then returned and continued to receive care, monitoring, and careful prescriptions from the Center.

After her illness, Mrs. Le Thi Dang is more appreciative of the kindness and thoughtfulness of the Center's staff.

Responsibility and gratitude

After the war, the mothers, wives of martyrs, and the wounded and sick soldiers who remained still carried with them the pain that was hard to forget. To show gratitude and share some of those losses, the Party and the State have implemented many special policies, including caring for and nurturing those with meritorious services and their relatives who have no place to rely on.

The Hue City Center for Nursing and Care of Meritorious People was established in 1985. Over the past 40 years, it has received and cared for hundreds of war invalids, people infected with toxic chemicals, wives of martyrs, and people who helped the revolution and lived alone and had no one to rely on.

Mr. Nguyen Si Que said that the Center is currently taking care of 10 elderly women, all of whom are under the old policy, before Decree 131/2021 dated December 30, 2021 of the Government detailing and implementing the Ordinance on Preferential Treatment for People with Revolutionary Contributions took effect. Most of the elderly live alone and are in special circumstances, but when they come here, they are all taken care of wholeheartedly and thoughtfully.

The Center’s facilities are quite complete and spacious. The residential area for the elderly has 8 rooms, 24 beds equipped with air conditioners, fans, blankets, personal items… and all are periodically replaced and promptly repaired when damaged. The Center currently has 36 staff members, of which the medical , nursing and catering departments are on duty 24/7.

In addition to health care, the Center also cares about the spiritual life of the elderly. During holidays and Tet, those who are still healthy are arranged to be taken home to visit their hometowns. Those who stay will have performances, Tet gifts, warm meals, and a family atmosphere. On July 27, the elderly are visited by city leaders and philanthropists, and given gifts. On normal days, the elderly are given regular check-ups, care, health restoration, haircuts, and clean fingernails and toenails.

The elderly all receive monthly allowances of several million VND or more. However, many of them still maintain the habit of being frugal, saving the allowance to "take care of incense" and "take care of funerals" for the deceased. Me Chau, one of the elderly women who has lived at the Center for many years, shared: "Every month, I receive an allowance of more than 5 million VND, living here does not cost a penny. With the money I save, I build mausoleums and graves for my grandparents, husband and children. When I am sick, the uncles and aunts at the Center take care of everything, so I don't have to worry about anything anymore."

At the Center, no one feels abandoned or alone. Each person has a different fate and situation, but they all gather here, together like a big family. For the old ladies, this is home, a peaceful place for the rest of their lives.

Article and photos: HOAI THUONG

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/an-sinh-xa-hoi/mai-am-cua-nhung-nguoi-o-lai-156035.html