Old Age Home

Off late there has been a steady increase in the old age homes everywhere. There was one such old age home in Bangalore where I used to visit as and when time permits. The first time I went to this old age home I could see lot of aged people, involved themselves in various activities like reading, talking to each other or just seeing and some were playing carom, but really caught my attention was an old lady who was sitting alone and lost in her world… her face had a lot of wrinkles and her deep eyes spoke a lot of her sorrow, which clearly proved that she had seen a lot of life..


I went to this lady and sat next to her and held her hand in mine, she did not to pay any attention to my presence nor acknowledge my touch, and she was still the same lost in her own thoughts... after a minute or two she held my hand tightly and not wanting to let it go from her. She smiled at me and apologized for not speaking earlier to me, to which I reverted back saying, she doesn’t have to apologize to me and smiled back.
From the small conversation which I had with this lady I came to know that her name was gowri and as the signs of ageing slowly arrived on her face she was addressed as gowramma by her near ones. She had lost her husband when her son was still 5years, and currently he was working as a Doctor in one of the renowned hospitals in Bangalore. Her son did not have much time to spend with his mother or shall I say he didn’t wanted to give his precious time or anything of his to his mother, old age was considered as a curse and burden and hence she had landed here… like all the mothers she had also taken special care and had showered unconditional love on her son, not knowing that she would be spending her last days in an old age home with others who have landed just like her. Every day she would think of her son and pray god for his well being…. This is why time and again I say mothers are no doubts angels.

After interacting with her I gave her a hug and told I will visit her as and when I get time and left the place. As I was stepping out of the place gowramma was still in my thoughts and more so the old age home….. Why is that we are seeing sudden rise in old ages homes ?? Reason is very simple because of few people who are incapable of looking after their parents (and in laws) and justifying the same with plenty of excuses, well none of them are convincing to me any day.

One usual excuse I have come across for joining old people to old age home is, ‘oh I have had enough with this lady/man(suddenly mother or father becomes just a lady or a man) he/she doesn’t hear me anymore I need to repeat things which is very irritating and can’t see properly and keeps breaking things’ . Didn’t we all do the same as toddlers trying to speak and learning to walk, our parents didn’t get irritated with us nor did they give up on us thinking we were a burden to them….
If everyone looks after the old people in their home with utmost care and love, eventually the old age homes will diminish, why do we want someone else to look after our parents when we know we can do it the best??

Old age is like another childhood, so let’s cultivate patience within ourselves and let’s take care of our parents and for those who are already in old age homes, let’s give them our time and affection.
Visit old age homes once in a while and spending time with elderly people not only gives them comfort feel but also gives us lot of wisdom which comes from interacting with them.
Let not our parents and elderly people join an old age home and let us not justify it by telling they deserve to be there…. It is a sorry sight to see an elderly person like gowramma in an old age home yearning for nothing but affection and love from their children….

Irrespective of our small arguments and little angers with our parents they always deserve our undying love, lets not leave our parents in an old age home and make them lonely..