I finally visited my grandfather two days ago. He was happy to see me and we did talk for quite a bit.

Knowing that his memory was failing him slowly, I bought him green tea. I wanted to get him some reading material but his eyesight is bad. And in my opinion, it can contribute to memory problems.

The eyes can be said to be the windows to intellectual stimulation, such as reading, doing word puzzles and so on. Without intellectual stimulation, especially in old age, the brain power can actually deteriorate. But I’m not to worried for the old man, because he tries to read albeit with great difficulty.

From our conversation, I found out some interesting things from him. He had fought for Singapore during World War 2. He was injured during the bombings and till this day has shrapnel stuck in his shins. After the war, he was offered citizenship in England and medical care for his injuries. He declined.

Throughout the conversation there was a shade of bitterness in his voice. He talked about the shortcomings of age; the lack of ability to be self-sufficient and befalling to illness. I could tell that he was lonely. It makes me think, would I one day feel this sense of loneliness. Would I lose my ability to support myself and fall into the ills of age. And eventually would I pray for death to come swiftly, to escape the pain.

Logen L.