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Dear Winston and Joseph
It has been more than two months since we last met in Hong Kong. Tony and I have returned to Australia and we have visited a nursing home in Sydney together with Theresa Lee, Bernard Yim and Rosemary Yim (Bernard's wife) in search of a suitable nursing home for Father should he be relocated to Sydney. Bernard is a doctor in Sydney and he has been involved in treating Father's disease in previous years when he came to Sydney for medical consultation and treatment.
I hope both of you have gone through the letters we have passed on to you during our last meeting in Hong Kong. To update you on the recent condition of Father and the way some of the Aloysians (those who care enough about Father to get concerned) in Canada and Australia feel about the situation, we are enclosing herewith some latest correspondence of Bosco Keown in Ireland, Bernard Yim in Australia and Andrew Shum in Canada for your perusal. (Andrew is a doctor and the Chairman of SLOBA in Canada). Bernard and Andrew, both being doctors, will each produce a statement on their observation and opinion of Father's physical and psychological condition from the medical profession's perspective. They are of the opinion that Father's current problem is more psychological than physical which is aggravated by being placed in an environment he has been separated from for 50 years. Also enclosed are some medical information on Parkinson disease explaining the psychosomatic impact of the disease on the patient. They throw more light and understanding to us on Father's current suffering which may often be misread and neglected by ordinary layman. It will certainly add weight to Bernard and Andrew's observation if we can also have a medical opinion from a doctor in Hong Kong on Father (Joseph, may be you can help in this regard?) in persuading the Salesians to allow Father to be relocated out of Ireland.
As for the nursing home we visited last Sunday, we have the following observations and findings. Nazareth House is a Catholic nursing home run by the Nuns. It is conveniently located in a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney within 30 minutes drive from most Aloysians here. Situated in a tranquil country-side environment, the nursing home has a total land area of about 1.5 acres with lots of space and garden to walk around. Facilities, condition and hygiene at the nursing home are top of the class quality. Most accommodations are single room with own bathroom. There is a quarter for retired priests as well which provides also a small living room on top of an ensuite for each priest. When Father was in Sydney a few years ago, he had visited the nursing home a couple of times and met some of the priests there. At the present moment there is stil one vacancy in the priest quarter. Provided there is no local newcomer in the next few months, the Mother-in-Charge there sees no major problem in accommodating Father when he arrives in Sydney. (As a matter of formality it has to be subject to the consent of the local Diocese.) As for the cost, there is a capital cost of A$4,380 per annum for the first five years plus a monthly running cost of around A$2,000 per month totaling A$28,380 per year (HK$150,000 per year at the prevailing exchange rate of 5.28). This compares favourably with the cost of the Irish nursing home where Father was currently staying which is at Pound 350 per week totaling Pound 18,200 per year (HK$236,000 per year at the prevailing exchange rate of 13). It translates to an annual saving of HK$86,600.
As Father's recent condition is pretty unstable and is further deteriorating since Theresa's last visit in November 1997, we are of the opinion that we should relocate Father to Sydney the sooner the better. (Enclosed are some recent photos of Father taken by Theresa during her last visit and we can see that Father has lost a lot of weight since his first arrival in Ireland.) Further more there will be a change in the rules governing the admission of the aged into local nursing homes in Australia. Once the new rules come into effect (probably in the second half of 1998) all applicants have to undergo an assessment program (physical, mental, social and financial) by the authority which will make things more difficult in Father's case. If Father can arrive in Sydney before the new regulations come into effect, he will be exempted from the new rules as they will not be applied retrospectively. All of us here in Sydney are anxious in speeding things up for Father so that he can come on an earlier date. We are confident that with the devoted loving care of Theresa supported by the collective effort and love of the Old Boys, coupled with the sunny and warm weather here in Sydney, Father would be able to enjoy a better quality of life both spiritually and physically for his remaining time.
We leave it to you to pursue the matter further with the Salesian provincials in Hong Kong and/or in Ireland. In the meantime, we should collectively come up with a strategy and action plan for the next course of action to be taken. With the right approach and striking the right chord at the right time, hopefully we can sort out the red tapes for Father pretty soon. Theresa is planning to visit Father again in late March and if things do turn out smoothly, she can escort Father back to Sydney during her return trip.
Time is of essence as we have to work in advance with the Mother-in-Charge in Nazareth House to pave the way for the admission of Father in due course. Winston, please let us know your schedule to Ireland for Theresa to plan her trip too.
We await your soonest response and feedback.
Best Personal Regards
Alex and Tony
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