Love endures at home for seniors

Sitting next to his wife at a wedding ceremony yesterday morning, Pai Chien-chiu (白清秋) had a big smile on his face.

"Although we were married five years ago, I'm very happy to marry her again," said the 89-year-old Pai to his wheelchair-bound wife, Wen Ya-lan (溫亞蘭), 83.

Wen, more timid and reserved than Pai, said that her husband has been taking very good care of her.

"He's very supportive and I think I'm very lucky," she said.

Pai and Wen met and wed at the municipal Hau Jan Senior Citizens' Home (台北市立浩然敬老院) in Kuantu, in Taipei's Peitou district, five years ago.

They were one of the nine resident couples attending yesterday's wedding ceremony held at the facility.

The event was held to celebrate the upcoming Chung Yang Festival (or Senior Citizens' Dday), which is the ninth day of the ninth Chinese lunar month. This year it falls today.

There are currently 33 married couples living at the facility, 12 of which have met and wed there.

"The purpose of the event is to showcase love, support and hope and they can change a person's life," said Hsu Yueh-mei (徐月美), director of the facility.

Established in 1968, Hau Jan (until 1986, the Yangming Seniors' Home) was the city's second public senior citizens' home. It provides 24-hour care to residents without chronic mental or physical maladies who are over the age of 60.

Half of Hau Jan's 700 residents were originally from China. The male-to-female ratio is about three to one and the average age is 80 years old.

In addition to Hau Jan, there are two other municipal senior citizens' homes: Kuang Tzu Senior Citizens' Home (廣慈博愛院) in Sungshan, Hsinyi district, which was the city's first public senior citizens' home. The other is the Taipei Self-paid Residential Home (老人自費安養中心) in Mucha, Wenshan district.

During yesterday's ceremony, the nine couples were asked to kiss and express their feelings out loud to each other.

"I'm grateful that you let me take care of you," Pai said to his wife.

Pai, who moved to the facility 17 years ago, has been actively involved in various in-house activities, including handicrafts, Chinese painting and calligraphy. He is currently working part-time at the library and is the editor-in-chief of the in-house quarterly newsletter.

"I love you" is what 82-year-old Hsu Chin-ho (徐錦和) told his 70-year-old wife, Chu En-mei (朱恩妹), who he met and wed outside of the facility 51 years ago.

"Nothing matters to me now than having a loving companion," Chu said.