NORMAL things can seem very challenging during the month of Ramadan. Perhaps it’s because we abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. And also perhaps it’s because our sleep pattern has changed and we’re up earlier than usual for sahur (predawn meal). Hunger and lack of sleep do not make a good combination.
While you’re fasting, you still have to cook if your family also comprises little children and the elderly, or ailing loved ones. There will be two extra meals in addition to that for buka puasa (breaking fast) and sahur. For most people, this isn’t an issue at all but for some, just the smell of food triggers hunger pangs.
If you plan well, everything will be manageable. You will not feel flustered and scurry around in panic and dread to do things that need to be done. The first few days are usually the toughest, but you’ll soon fall into a routine.
Planning is key to managing the situation well. The other is to look at options available to you.
FOOD DELIVERY OPTIONS
First, make full use of your smartphone and the apps available. You’ll be surprised at the things you can do from your smartphone! There’re food delivery services that save you the effort of cooking for just one or two people and from having to leave home to collect the food.
Buying food from reputable outlets saves time. It’s unlikely you’ll have leftovers from such meals, and you’ll be able to minimise wastage. You can also use that energy saved from buying groceries and cooking to do other things.
In the past, I used to cook big batches of food over the weekend, portion and freeze them. Sometimes the same dish can be a new dish if you know how to modify it. The truly fresh item to go with these dishes are vegetables. However, this can get a bit boring after a while and you’ll yearn for something different.
Being able to have food delivered to the house also means that you and your loved ones can enjoy the variety available. There are just some dishes that turn out better than our attempts at home. Such delivery services also allow you to send food to people you care about, especially when they don’t live with you. This is especially useful when you want to do something special for your ailing loved one and his caregiver.
This method of gifting can brighten up anyone’s day just as much as flowers and chocolates, if not more so. They’ll love you for it.
CONNECTING FAMILIES
With your smartphone, you can do video calls. We do tend to feel somewhat nostalgic during the festive period. With WiFi available, such calls cost next to nothing.
I wish we had had this technology when my late parents were still around. We were all scattered all over the world at some point and I know my parents missed us as much as we missed them. Thank goodness we had phones that connected us and that served us well. Those videophone calls really helped bridge the distance when my children were abroad. There’s nothing like being able to see them while you chat.
The smartphone is wonderful for connecting to the CCTV you’ve set up at home. Initially CCTVs were installed mostly on the external parameters of the home to monitor the compound for safety. These days, you can install the CCTV in common areas of the house and even the rooms of your loved one who is being cared for by others, especially hired help.
It can be your ailing elderly loved one, your baby or your child with special needs.
This is especially comforting if you aren’t home all the time but can still keep an eye on the goings-on at home. It’s also great for long-distance caregivers too.
There is also a function on the smartphone that we can use to track our loved ones. It may sound invasive, but it is for safety reasons, especially if your elderly loved one or your child with special needs has a tendency to leave home and wander off. They may find themselves in places that are unfamiliar to them and they may not be able to find their way home because they can’t tell where home is.
In the past, we may resort to putting on a bracelet or a pendant for them with their name and address on it for kind strangers to help them find their way home. We can still do that, only this time, we know the location too because the GPS device can be paired with the smartphone, and it can come in the form of a bracelet or a handphone.
To know the details of how you can do any of these, you can use the Internet.
It’s time to use technology in ways that benefit both you and the ones in your care.
Putri Juneita Johari volunteers for the Special Children Society of Ampang. She can be reached at juneitajohari@yahoo.com.
