When young, I grew up with these Ah Ma Chia around me, for most homes in the neighbourhood have one. We had one that used to work for the family, became too bossy, was 'told to go'..& not an easy task. My late mother used to be a member of a clan association that look after these , 'spinsters', & 'bachelors' ( single men), I used to follow & pay visits to their tiny cubicles in Chinatown, visiting Opium dens, gambling houses etc.. The Association looked after these people, who had no family here, the ah mah chia's, the sam sui por, the bachelor workers, help pay for the hospitalisation when they are ill & their burial & costs when they die. I used to visit Kwong Wai Shui Hospital to see these people who were warded there, with my late mother. There were only enclaves we use to go, like Redhill, Henderson, Rumah Tinggi, Bukit Ho Swee...
These people are very independent, hardy & damn strong in spite they look old & fragile, won't take charity unless it is beyond their endurance...in Cantonese, we say " yau guat hei" also Backbone. They smoke, they drink, they gamble...the samsui, the ah mah chia...they can cursed even a sailor will blush...& very religious. These people are one of a kind...