The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.106)

2019 • 01 14 alone. She shut herself in the room and never came out to see the sun, seemingly isolated from the world. Fortunately, her neighbours often cooked and left some food by her door, so at least she would not starve. Someone reported the case to us, so five of us went there for a home visit. However, she either refused to answer the door or accused us as a fraudulent organization, throwing things from inside of the house to drive us away. Everyone was afraid of her and we ran out of ideas of how to approach her. I thought to myself, I was just a few years older than her. She was really pitiful and I must guide her out of the situation. Among our group of five volunteers, I lived closest to her, so I often knocked on her door. She always yelled from inside, “Go away you liar!” I said, “My name is Ah Kuan! I am also in my 70s, about the same age as you. I am a good person! I am here to just chat with you and keep you company, let us be friends!” But, she just kept on yelling at me to chase me away. I always brought some gifts and left them by her door. Her neighbours advised me not to waste time trying, for she never talked to others, always thinking that others were there to harm her. However, every time I reached home, I would still worry about her. After several attempts, she started to recognize my voice, and would occasionally have a peek to check me out. “Ah Shan... I am Ah Kuan from Tzu Chi! I came the other day. I am not going to harm you. Do you want to open the door? I am waiting for you here...” Ah Shan no longer shouted at me, but opened the window a little. “I am right here, I just want to keep During a home visit, Cai Kuan (2nd left) offered words of encouragement to the care recipient’s son, who had mobility difficulty, at the family’s request. eature