Hu’s Ready for CNY?

Residents spring clean to welcome prosperity this coming Year of Tiger

“It’s very common to do spring cleaning when Chinese New Year is coming,” shares Mr Goh Kian Ho, an easy-going gentleman residing in the Lodge’s Lily Home. On this January morning, Mr Goh and his fellow residents are hard at work, polishing windows and wiping down furniture. These chores may seem mundane but are a natural form of physical activity.

Exercise Therapist (ET) Jacob Poh adds, “Many of our residents don’t like to exercise. But, when they help out with the household chores around the Home, they are already engaging in some form of physical activity. Doing the chores is a form of naturalised rehabilitation for them, even though they don’t realise it.” A recent local study supports this and has proven that housework of any kind helps seniors stay mentally fitter while reducing their risks of fall. (Lee, et al., 2021)

Spring cleaning usually involves the whole family and in Lily Home, it is no different. Each resident takes charge of a task and ensures that each area is spick and span. Mr Thomas Lim chimes in that he always made sure his house was spruced up in time for Chinese New Year so it would be warm and inviting for visitors. For Mr Francis Seow, a fellow Lily Home resident, he looked forward most to visiting his relatives and friends, and distributing red packets to the young ones.

“We spring clean so that we sweep away the bad luck of the year. Then, we welcome good fortune and prosperity in the new year,” commented Mr Goh. Despite the physically demanding tasks, the residents are raring to celebrate the Year of the Tiger. And what’s Chinese New Year without the snacks? After all the hard work, the Lily residents plan to reward themselves with their favourite festive snacks: love letters, pineapple tarts, kueh bangkit, and the list goes on.

Due to the pandemic, the residents will not be able to meet their loved ones physically this Chinese New Year, but they are heartened that they can spend this festive season with their AHL family.

For more inspiring stories at the Lodge, go to: http://www.apexharmony.org.sg/about/news-happening

Reference

Lee SY, Pang BWJ, Lau LK, et al. Cross-sectional associations of housework with cognitive, physical and sensorimotor functions in younger and older community-dwelling adults: the Yishun Study. BMJ Open 2021;11:e052557. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2021-052557