Returning the Smile of the Elderly after the Flash Flood in Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara

EAST LEWOLEBA (14 April 2021) - It is already the 10th day of being in the evacuees camp for flash flood survivors. The face of Grandma Maria (78 years) still full of sadness, one of the elderly who survived from the natural disaster in Eastern Indonesia.

The invasion of the water swept away the houses. "All things were swept away by water from the mountain," recalled Oma Maria in a trembling voice.

This grandmother with 2 children and 2 grandchildren admits that it is difficult to erase her sadness. All property and houses were swept away by flash floods in East Lewoleba District, Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. For the elderly, this condition is hard to go through.

The Ministry of Social Affairs responds to disasters by trying various ways, one of which is through the Psychosocial Support Service (LDP).

The post for flood survivors in East Lewoleba Village, where Oma Maria and 12 other elderly live temporarily was one of the locations visited by the team from the Directorate of Social Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs together with Subdistrict Social Welfare Workers (TKSK) and Family Hope Program (PKH) Companions.

The psychosocial services support is listening to the stories of the elderly individually, starting from stories about family, fun activities, and hobbies.

Besides, there are also group activities. Its function is to "Know Each Other". The elderly are asked to write their names on paper, either write it themselves or write it down by family members and then put it on their chest so that they get to know each other,

The next activity is the "paper ball throwing" game. They make paper balls, clump the paper into balls, then throw and catch with their own hands. Then throwing a paper ball to the other while singing "Disini Senang Disana Senang" (Happily Here and There).

The meaning of this game is that everyone is happy to take and give, because everyone at the evacuee's post is one family. "We as a family give each other, and also learn to accept the situation of everything that happens. One must pay attention to each other and care for one another," said Feri Afrianto, Junior Social Counselor of the Directorate of Elderly Social Rehabilitation of MoSA.