Age

I’m sitting in the waiting area, waiting for my Ah pa while he’s getting an MRI for his brain, one of the tests and scans he has to get before his cataract surgery and possible shunt surgery for his advance glaucoma. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been to a few specialist appointments with my father, always with a sense of dread and sadness . My ah pa is getting old, his health is deteriorating, there is no denying it.

I am thankful that at least he is in Australia where healthcare is good and he is able to get the treatment and care that he needs. It is just very sad for me that I don’t feel there’s much I can do for him. I completely understand my father’s discomfort and fear of having to undergo uncomfortable procedures, tests, surgeries and also medical appointments where the unfamiliar language and jargon might make him feel ill at ease. I hate it that he must be feeling very nervous and feeling claustrophobic in an mri tunnel, I wish I could take these tests and bear the pain and discomfort for him.

How can I do more for my ah pa? What can I do to make him feel better? I really don’t know.