An elderly married couple in Keelung’s Jhongjheng District have been living in a corrugated iron house that is potentially dangerous because it is too dark inside and the bathroom floor is wet and slippery. On Wednesday last week, volunteers from the Keelung City Skywalker Charity Association carrying a bathtub, cement and other materials climbed up the hill to repair the elderly couple’s house and make their indoor environment more accessible. The two seniors smiled happily when they saw how much safer and brighter their home had become.
Skywalker Charity Association chairman David Lee said that the 81-year-old gandfather, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease and possible dementia, is looked after by the 79-year old grandmother, and their daughter-in-law also visits and looks after them from time to time.
Apart from the wet, slippery floor and dim interior, the old couple’s corrugated iron house did not have any railings to lean on, and they have suffered occasional falls, but because vehicles cannot reach their house and they have a limited budget, it has been very hard for them to find anyone willing to work on the house. The Keelung City Long-Term Care Management Center cooperated with Skywalker volunteers to repair the elderly couple’s house.
Photo courtesy of the Keelung City Skywalker Charity Association 照片：基隆市天行者慈善協會提供
Eight Skywalker volunteers carried mechanical tools, cement, gravel and other materials under the blazing sun, but nobody complained about being tired. They fitted the elderly couple’s home with a new bathtub and water heater, installed more lights and a new kitchen sink, and also installed some fall-prevention equipment.
Skywalker Charity Association CEO expressed his gratitude to general managers Lee Run-yu of Tien Yang Engineering and Yin Chun-chi of Fu Chuang Co for taking part in this philanthropic activity to improve senior citizens’ living environment.
(Translated by Julian Clegg, Taipei Times)
Photo courtesy of the Keelung City Skywalker Charity Association 照片：基隆市天行者慈善協會提供
基隆市中正區一對老夫妻住在山坡上鐵皮屋，因室內燈光不足、浴室地面濕滑，潛在危險，基隆市天行者慈善協會志工上週三搬著浴缸、水泥等材料上山，為老夫妻修房子，改善屋內的無障礙環境，看著家裡更安全明亮，兩老開心笑了。
天行者慈善協會理事長李昌萬說，八十一歲的老爺爺患有帕金森氏症，並疑有失智症，由七十九歲的老奶奶照顧，兒媳不定時會返家照料。
除了地面濕滑、照明光線不足，爺奶住的鐵皮屋又沒有扶手欄杆，老人家曾經跌倒，但礙於車輛無法抵達及預算有限，很難找到願意施工的人，基隆市長期照顧管理中心和天行者的志工合作，幫爺奶修繕房子。
天行者八名志工頂著大太陽，人力搬運機具、水泥、沙石等材料，但沒人喊累。他們幫爺奶換上新浴缸、熱水器，再加裝燈具及新的水槽，還設置防跌設施。
天行者慈善協會執行長黃永翔說，很感謝典陽工程李潤宇總經理及富創企業社殷純驥總經理幫忙，共同參與公益關懷活動，讓老人家改善居住環境。
（自由時報記者盧賢秀）
Whether they are a Siamese, Persian, Maine Coon, or Domestic Shorthair, there are hundreds of millions of cats living with people around the world. But despite their popularity as pets, the history of cat domestication has remained difficult for scientists to decipher. A new genome study is providing some insight into the matter by determining the timing of a key milestone in feline domestication - the introduction of domestic cats into Europe from North Africa. Domestic cats pounced into Europe roughly 2,000 years ago in early imperial Roman times, the researchers found, probably thanks to maritime trade. Some of these furry trailblazers
You’re half-asleep with your head resting on the desk during your lunch break. All of a sudden, your leg kicks violently, your head snaps up, and you’re wide awake in a split second. This __1__ sensation is called a “hypnic jerk,” a common phenomenon that strikes just as your body starts to relax, but your brain mistakenly hits the panic button. A hypnic jerk is an involuntary muscle spasm that usually occurs during the __2__ from wakefulness to sleep, especially during the early stages of sleep. As the body begins to relax, muscles loosen and breathing slows down. One
Scientists at Argentina’s Marambio Station in Antarctica have detected high levels of ammonia gas in the air near an “Adelie penguin” colony. The ammonia, released from nitrogen-rich penguin guano, reacts with sulfur compounds emitted by oceanic plankton to form aerosol particles. These particles boost cloud formation and can sometimes lead to fog. Scientists found that even after the penguins left the area, the remaining guano continued to give off significant amounts of ammonia. Clouds created by the guano can influence the local climate by either reflecting sunlight or trapping heat, depending on environmental conditions. In other words, penguin waste
In English, “name idioms” are part of what makes English fascinating. Let’s put a few examples under the microscope. Doubting Thomas This expression stems from the Bible. Thomas, one of Jesus’s disciples, refused to believe Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. He declared he wouldn’t accept it until he could see the nail marks in Jesus’s hands and touch his wounds himself. Today, this idiom refers to someone who won’t believe something without concrete evidence. For instance, if your friend’s expertise is reliable, but you’re still suspicious, you might be a “doubting Thomas.” Smart Aleck The origin of this phrase likely comes from
RSS