The havoc old man

I was walking along Orchard Road when I chanced upon a thin old man strolling in front of me. At first glance, I thought to myself, "what a havoc old man". This was because, from a distance, I saw he had his long pants folded up, just like the fashionable young adults in Orchard Road wearing folded skinny jeans. Also he was wearing a hawaiian flowery batik shirt.  However, at a closer look, I saw he had his black track shoe laces tied a few coils around his ankles (see below photo).  

I stifled a little chuckle, a little amused but I thought it was an interesting sight. I mean, how many old men in their 70-80s you know would actually go shopping in Orchard Road?  I would probably see most of the local old men hanging around in Chinatown or Geylang.  My own father would not even bother to roam Orchard Road and shopping would be the last thing on his mind. He just like to stay at home.

Jokes aside. Afterwards, when I was in a department store, passing by the men's section. I saw yet another different thin old man. Again I thought, another havoc old man.  The thin old man was wearing beige bermudas with some printed designs, a fashionable shirt as well as track shoes.  He was talking to a sales guy. The old man was trying to buy a pair of pants. Later when I walked past again, I saw him hurriedly walking to the counter with a pair of pants. Then I noticed from his behind, his pair of beige bermudas were actually stained with some brownish spots all around the butt area.  The "printed designs" I saw earlier were actually stains, presumably shit stains. That was why he was buying a new pair of pants. 

I was little sad, as it reminded me of how this can happen to any of us when we grow old. It can happen to our grandparents, it can happen to our parents, it can happen to us. And it may happen to my father. It can be embarressing and extremely inconvenient when faced with urinary and fecal incontinence. Incontinence is the inability to properly control your bladder. Hence one may experience urinary leakage or completely wet your underpants at times. If our loved ones have this condition, we should be more understanding and not be frustrated with them. The most important thing, I believe, is to help them come to terms with their condition. Accept them as they are.

Here are some tips on how you can control incontinence the natural way:

1. Perform Kegel exercises. Kegels are used to strengthen the muscles in your pelvic region. To do Kegels, you hold the muscles that control urination for several seconds and then release. Repeat these exercises as often as you would like.

2. Hold in your urine. Peeing too often can lead to incontinence. If you are able to hold your urine longer, the symptoms of incontinence will decrease in severity.

3. Eliminate caffeine and alcohol from your diet. Beverages containing these items can lead to incontinence. If you are drinking too many fluids a day, they may need to be cut back as well.

4. Get rid of any additional incontinence triggers. If certain foods cause incidences of incontinence, then you should stop eating or drinking these items. For example, some people find that spicy foods cause them to experience incontinence.

5. Drink more cranberry juice. The acidic nature of cranberry juice has been known to improve bladder function.


May everyone be healthy and free of obstacles and sickness. May everyone grow old gracefully and wisely.