The grass is always greener under the sceptic tank.
Hou Dong Yu is in an idyllic setting nest to a reservoir and is unusually mountainous for Hebei Province. The home is an occasions of quiet and rest for the 14 elderly women and men who live there. Built on a philosophy of mutual support and self help, the home offers a protected environment where the residents can continue to follow the rhythms of the farming life with which whey are familiar, but which they are no longer able to follow on their own.
The “Bricks” project was a very simple one, to introduce indoor toilets to the 4 three-bed units which are the norm for the home. In theory a simple idea and much needed, (the alternative is a common toilet outside the main gate with no water,. In practice the project required a complex adjustment to the plumbing in order to keep within regulations and still provide the residents with practical benefits. Building a septic tank was the most difficult aspect of the project. There is no sewage system in the Houdong yu area and disposing of waste so near to a reservoir required a well designed septic tank. The site is on a hill, and placing a tank low enough to allow gravity to take care of the flow meant digging back into the hill side. The result might not look much, since most of it is underground, but ensures that improving the facilities does not impact negatively on the environment.
A second concern was the provision of suitable toilets. The space available in each room was not sufficient, (adding this facility meant the loss of one bed in each room). Giving the residents privacy and ease of access had to contend with cost and space demands in a limited space. In the end each unit is accessible and has supports so that even those with only some mobility can use the toilets without help.
A complexity, which will resolve itself in time, is that the current residents are not used to indoor plumbing and even though it is difficult, many still prefer the outdoor option. A cold winter, and increased familiarity will take care of this problem! However it does point to the challenge which caring for the elderly poses in poor communities. Basic standards are increasing rapidly, and Residential homes must adapt to the changing expectations of society. But if society change rapidly, individual seniors don’t, it takes sensitivity on behalf of the staff to allow current residents to feel at home, in a Home which must adjust to the times. It looks odd to have some of the residents shuffle out to an outdoor lavatory when they have an indoor one available, but this is the anomaly of a rapidly changing society.
Thank you for your kindness in funding this project. The financial report is being translated and will be posted next month.
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