Jump to the main content block

Eden Social Welfare Foundation
:::
2023-05-10

Eden and Hsinchu Veterans Home accompanied the 102-year-old grandpa back home and the dream-catching bus reached the great successful achievement

The last mile of life, if it were you, how would you like to spend it? Grandpa Ho, who is 102 years old, would like to go back to the place he knows best and have another meal with his beloved ones. Eden Foundation joined hands with the Hsinchu Veterans Home, and at the end of April, Ms. Jin Ying, the Registered Nurse from the Hsinchu Veterans Home, accompanied Grandpa Ho, who is 102 years old, on the Eden Foundation's dream-catching bus to return to Granny Ho's Rainbow Thai Food and Snack Shop, to reminisce about Granny Ho's authentic Thai cuisine and the happy times they had together in the past, and to fulfill the dream of reuniting the couple.

 

Eden's dream-catching bus uses lift equipment to help Grandpa Ho get on the bus

 

Grandpa was born in Zhejiang Province, China and was introduced to his Thai-Chinese wife by a friend after coming to Taiwan. Two years after their marriage, Grandpa Ho, who loves his family, brought Granny Ho's daughter from Thailand to live with them in Taiwan. The three of them operated Rainbow Thai Cuisine and Snack Shop in Hsinchu. As they grew older, Grandpa Ho was approached by illnesses such as degeneration of his legs, mild dementia and hemoglobin deficiency, and the granny collapsed due to the pressure of caring for Grandpa Ho and running the shop. In order to provide better care for Grandpa, it was decided to apply for the Hsinchu Veterans Homefor Grandpa to live in. Over the past four years, with the careful care of Registered Nurses and Licensed Social Workers, Grandpa Ho has been living happily and the Hsinchu Veterans Homehas become like a second home for Grandpa.

 

The team of hospice workers, Hsinchu Veterans Home staff and Granny Ho accompanying Grandpa Ho depart to the snake shop.

 

However, since this year, Grandpa Ho has been in a state of insufficient red blood cells. After evaluation by a Registered Nurse, it was found that the blood vessels of Grandpa Ho were getting thinner and thinner due to long-term blood transfusion, and his physical condition was no longer suitable for other medical interventions. After talked with hospice workers and family members then Contact the Eden Foundation Dream-Catching Service, and hope that grandpa will go through the final scene of his life without regret. In order to provide a comfortable journey for Grandpa, the team prepared a special care wheelchair with pressure-reducing materials to reduce the discomfort of sitting for long periods of time; at the same time, Grandpa could get on and off the bus directly without the need to move around.

 

The Registered Nurse fixed the wheelchair for Grandpa Ho in the dream-catching bus, so that he could sit comfortably in the bus

 

In the morning of the day, the grandfather changed into a Tang costume and a national flag scarf. Then the Hsinchu Veterans Homeprepared the virtual reality device that allows Grandpa Ho to enter Zhejiang through the power of technology and relieve his homesickness. Grandpa Ho was looking forward to backing home for a long time, and the Registered Nurse said that Grandpa woke up earlier than usual and was in particularly good spirits today. When Grandpa Ho arrived at the snack shop by Eden Foundation's dreams-catching bus, Grandma Ho had prepared many of his favorite dishes and cooked his favorite beef congee, and even though Grandpa Ho's speech was no longer as clear as the average person's, Grandpa Ho still said with all his strength, "I want to eat! I want to eat!" I want to eat! Grandpa Ho was fed by Granny herself, one by one, with a warm smile on her face, and the couple shared their love for each other. The Registered Nurse said that the day was the first time Grandpa had spoken the most in the past few years, and everyone was touched.

 

 Grandpa Ho wore a virtual reality device to reminisce about his hometown

 

For 40 years, Eden Foundation has been committed to speaking out for the rights of persons with disabilities and accompanying them to live independently through a variety of services. In recent years, Eden Barrier-Free Innovation Service Center has been promoting the Dream-Catching Project, which aims to accompany people who cannot use general public transportation, rehab buses and other barrier-free transportation, such as hospice patients, persons with severely disabilities also low and middle-income households, to go to the places they want to go. The service area is mainly in Taoyuan City, New Taipei City, Taipei City, Keelung City and Yilan County. Free movement is a fundamental right, and it is not the person but the environment that is the obstacle. We hope that through the Dream-Catching Bus, we can help our service users to make wonderful memories of their lives without any regrets. For any further inquiries, please call (02)2230-6670 ext. 3606.