Sunday, September 14, 2008

Old folks...

I just watched Money No Enough 2. Gosh... it was not the comedy I expected. It touched on the phenomenon plaguing our society.

I will not elaborate much on the storyline in case you haven't watch it; but I will highlight the sad part of the story.

Money No Enough 2
The poignant part of the story is when the elderly mother (Lai Ming) started becoming senile and troublesome to her three children. The eldest son couldn't cope with looking after his mother and the three decide to split the caring to three. Each son will look after his mother for 2 days in turn with the extra day a week taken by each one in turn.

When they showed the scene of the upper class son(Bao Qiang) deciding where to place his mother. She couldn't share room with the daughter or even be placed in the living room (because she makes a mess and it's not nice to be seen by guest) In the end, it really broke my heart to see Bao Qiang and his family finally deciding to place his mother on some mat in the wet kitchen area just next to the toilet.

The son had the audacity to ask the mother if it is all right, and being a mother, she said yes. The son and his family left her to watch the movie in the cinema. The next scene of the sad look in the mother's eyes with a tear trickling down her cheek is so heart-wrenching.

Fast forward a little, then the sons decided to put the mother into the old folks home where she collapsed and had to be hospitalised.

In the hospital, she was unconscious for a few days and the sons were worried about the exorbitant hospital bills (private hospital) to the extend they secretly wished their mother died earlier...

The plot was further stretched with the Bao Qiang's daughter being involve in a car accident. She needed a blood transfusion of O- which was limited and coincidentally scheduled to go to the grandmother who was also O-. The parents who are also O- cannot donate their blood to their own daughter due to some health problems.

The scene of them fighting for the blood for their daughter was a little extreme. Then suddenly, the elderly mother, Lai Ming woke up and saw them fighting; she decided to end her life just like that.

Siggghh.... isn't that sad?

Petronas Raya Advertisement 2006

Anyway, Petronas Advertisement has also touched this aspect of filial piety and the current generation's treatment to their parents. Take a look at this advertisement. I saw a similar story line of this in a Singaporean Chinese drama too.


The way we treat our elderly parents now will be observed and learned by our children. They will treat you exactly the same as you grow older.

Alas, it is easier said than done. Not everyone has the time to care for their elderly parents with packed schedule of work to pay their bills and loans. Look at this next advertisement by Petronas; showing the mothers bragging about their high-pay children in the old folks home, but... nothing beats a visit and time spent with the son instead.



In fact, some children decided to hire a maid or help to look after their own parents. This is no longer a wise or safe decision anymore with the hired help abusing your elderly parents under your very own nose. I saw this incident in Oprah whereby if it were not for a nanny-cam, the daughter would not have found out that her help was hitting her elderly father who couldn't even remember.


What can we do? "Ship" our parents to old folks home? Struggle to care for them in your own home? Hire a maid specifically to look after your own parents?

I don't know, but it sure makes me wonder, when it is my turn, how would I treat my own parents? And then, when I am old and helpless, how would I be treated?

No comments: