Where Can The Elderly Disabled Go?
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National Neuroscience Institute head Lee Wei Ling in a letter to the Straits Times, raised the issue of a generation of greying disabled here who have nowhere to turn when their parents die.
Dr Lee wrote that money should be put into caring for such disabled folk.
She told the Straits Times yesterday, "We are pumping billions of dollars to be a vibrant, cultured and hip society. But isnt it more important to be a caring society where we make a conscious effort to help our less fortunate citizens?
"How can we consider ourselves a civil and cultured society when we close our eyes to the parents who spend the latter half their lives in anguish?"
isnt Dr Lee the sister of our current PM? -
Another potential Wayang and TKSS session in the making....Originally posted by dragg:National Neuroscience Institute head Lee Wei Ling in a letter to the Straits Times, raised the issue of a generation of greying disabled here who have nowhere to turn when their parents die.
Dr Lee wrote that money should be put into caring for such disabled folk.
She told the Straits Times yesterday, "We are pumping billions of dollars to be a vibrant, cultured and hip society. But isnt it more important to be a caring society where we make a conscious effort to help our less fortunate citizens?
"How can we consider ourselves a civil and cultured society when we close our eyes to the parents who spend the latter half their lives in anguish?"
isnt Dr Lee the sister of our current PM? -
Can go batam or johor to die lor.
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Ever noticed that she's starting to become very prominent to the public now?
Writing in to forums and all that.
Hmm. -
"Quickly divert topic if you know you might be embroiled in a charitable organisation scandal" syndrome.Originally posted by charlize:Ever noticed that she's starting to become very prominent to the public now?
Writing in to forums and all that.
Hmm. -
hanor hanor, as above.
*nod nod* -
isnt it more effective to talk to her brother?
we have 120 billion in reserves.
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She dun know meh?
Ask her go ask our health minster Kwah who would like our elderly to be shipped to cheap foreign land to die there? -
she is saying the severely brain damaged should not be saved and land up with a problem for society...
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if they are old and/or disabled, isit advisable for them to move around?
dun expect them to go MOS rite? -
This is Dr Lee's original letter to the ST Forum, printed on 15 September 2006.
Note the title: "DON'T SALVAGE LIVES THAT WILL WEIGH ON FAMILY"Don't salvage lives that will weigh on family
THE article, 'Parents of the disabled have a long list of woes'' (ST, Sept 13), serves as a launching pad for me to write to ST Forum on a topic I have felt very strongly about for a long time.
Of the long list of woes, one dominates that of all elderly parents: 'Who will look after my child after I pass on?' Many parents have expressed this concern to me.
In other cases, I have reminded younger parents to cease their globe-trotting in search of a miracle cure and set aside funds to provide for their disabled child while not neglecting their other children.
For those who can afford it, I advise them about setting up a trust fund. But many do not have enough money to provide for their disabled offspring for as long as the patient will live.
I understand the parents' pain and burden because I see it so often. It is one of the reasons I have written to ST Forum more than once about not salvaging lives that will be a burden to their family and society.
My conviction was further strengthened last Tuesday when a patient in his 50s, who I have seen for more than 15 years, came for his annual check-up with his sister.
Surprised, I asked what happened to the father who was the one who brought the patient every time.
'He passed away' was the sister's answer.
'But he looked in good health when I saw him last year.'
'Actually, he jumped and killed himself. He meant to take my brother with him but could not do so.'
I was greatly saddened. The father had asked me for help to find a nursing home for his son two years ago. I gave him a list and he phoned each of them, promising to will everything to the home which would promise to look after his son.
He had a landed property which he lived in, but that too would be willed to the home when he died.
Last year, he told me sadly that all the homes wanted money upfront and turned him down.
As medicine advances, more and more brain-damaged patients will be salvaged. We doctors are playing God all the time though we pretend we should not.
We are trapped between the old days when many of these disabled patients would die because medicine could do no better, and a rational era (which may never come) where doctors and families can come to a rational decision that 'enough is enough'.
As a First World country where millions of dollars are being poured into making us a cultured and vibrant society, could a few million dollars be spared to build nursing homes for disabled patients whose parents are getting too old to look after them any longer?
Dr Lee Wei Ling
Coincidentally recently I've been doing a bit of pondering on this issue, whether parents-to-be, who know their child will certainly be born with serious defects, should keep the child.
If we look at the issue humanely, one might say that the child has a right to live.
But as a parent, do we not have the right to decide for a child, who is still unable to see the obstacles that are abound in his future and hence come to a decision he truly desires?
How do you know the child wants to live or not?
Even if you say the child should be given a chance at life, will he suffer more if you terminate his life before he comes into the world, or will he suffer more if you let him live on and attempt to overcome all adversities that may fall unto his path (and may not even have a truly happy ending)?
And the above is only secondary.
The primary argument here is, who will look after your child after you pass on? Even if you manage to save enough to put him into a nursing home, can you guarantee the nursing home will always be around, and always be able to provide for your child? What if one day the nursing home closes down, and they cannot find any other which is willing to take in your child? Will your child be able to take the blow of losing his parents, after decades of being so close to and being taken care of by his parents?
And to put it rather heartlessly, what is the worth of the child's life, if he is unable to contribute to the community at all (not to even mention economically, in this ugh ugh world)?
These are my harshest words. Berate me... whatever. -
or to carry old folks n those without children to a designated area (e.g. bukit timah hill), and barricade them away from all the major cbd zones. it will then paint singapore to foreigners as the no. 1 choice city of 'smiles' for all big conventions, investors, entertainment and the casinos. an aside, that smiling kwah reminds me of comedian jack neo's sidekick henry tia? maybe its my imagination or due to eating too much penang laksa these days, better stick to mee siam mia hum...Originally posted by Aveme:She dun know meh?
Ask her go ask our health minster Kwah who would like our elderly to be shipped to cheap foreign land to die there? -
it is a simple issue.
our govt should use a bit of our 120 billion reserves to provide for these helpless people.