Aging disabled Malaysians need a helping hand

So, how has the Year of the Goat been treating you lately?

Me? At the time of writing this article, I have yet to attend an open house.

This is despite the fact that the Year of the Horse has long galloped away into the horizon with the rather rambunctious new Goat Year butting in last week. 

Please don't get me wrong. It's not that I was trying to be anti-social or anything like that.

But as you get older, your priorities inevitably change, especially when your disabilities age along with you.

When I decide to go out in my wheelchair, there are a lot of things to plan ahead these days.

These include getting a helper to dress me up and accompany me to social events and meetings.

I used to be able to do these things by myself, including transferring into my hand-powered car, but nowadays, you got to be a bit careful.

Unless, of course, you happen to feel totally confident about doing physical transfers from your wheelchair to your car, it's always best to have able-bodied help around in order to prevent a nasty fall.

But despite these, I'm happy to say that I had a couple of friends drop by at my home with some special festive treats. So all was not lost.

Making changes in his lunar new year celebrations this year was also what my good friend Teo Kah Choon – who also lives in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, like I do – did.

We have been friends for more than 15 years.

Teo, who is 46 now and born in the Year of the Monkey, possesses some of the best qualities of a Goat-Year person.

He is wonderfully gentle and mild mannered. Friendly, but a bit shy, sometimes, but always brimming with a strong sense of kind-heartedness and justice.

Teo was only three years old when he was attacked with high fever.

He was rushed to a nearby private clinic and given a jab to bring it down. However, it never subsided.

The toddler never stopped crying. He was suddenly unable to stand or walk because of the weakness in the legs.

It wasn't until he was rushed to a government hospital when the specialist confirmed that Teo had poliomyelitis. They also told his family that there was no cure.  

As he grew up, Teo learnt to move around in the house by sitting on a small sofa chair with wheels. His dad took him to school on his motorcycle.

Teo would have to sit throughout the half-day sessions on the classroom chair, where his dad would place the boy. He had to control his food intake, especially drinks, as the toilets were not friendly to pupils with disabilities.

It wasn't until Teo was in standard five when his school donated a wheelchair. However, he still had problems using the non-disabled friendly toilets.

"At that time I was the only student in a wheelchair. My family and I never heard of such a thing as a 'welfare department' where I could go for help," Teo said.

It was after Teo left school when he heard of the government body. He wasted no time to get himself registered with the Social Welfare Department where it later donated a modified motorbike with a side car to place his wheelchair during his travels.  

"The wheelchair and the bike totally changed my world for me as I was finally able to get out and around," said Teo, with a beaming smile. 

Teo's first job was at a private hospital. Today, he works from his home as a data entry specialist. His clients send him the information and he enters them into his computer.

Last week, he spent his time with his family in getting his home ready for the new year.

His responsibility was to join in with adding new touches of colours to brighten up his home.

Teo covered areas of his walls which he could get to and reach from his wheelchair.

This year, there were no going out to events as previous years – except for a reunion dinner in a Buddhist temple with some other friends in wheelchairs.

Other than that, prayers were held in his home to his ancestors followed by a meal.

Teo lives mostly with his mum, who is 75. They both take turns to look after each other, while his brothers and sisters have their own families and jobs.

Teo opines that it would help him and his mother greatly (as well as other disabled and elderly persons) if a special allowance for "personal attendants care" is given from the government.

These are part-time workers to help those ageing with disabilities with daily living skills, such as cooking, cleaning and even help in bathing.

Currently, such a service is sponsored by governments in other countries.

A check with the Social Welfare Department last week revealed that such requests have been made before to the Finance Ministry. However, they were somehow rejected.

It's high time the authorities reviewed their decision on this urgent and valid service. In a society like ours with an ever increasing number of older and aging disabled people, it would be a welcome lifeline for many instead of being a virtual death sentence when we get older. – February 23, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.