Old age home: A new option

EIGHT ELDERLY persons choose to stay in a 19-room Old Age Home, announcing loud and clear that old age home culture is gaining currency in the city of nawabs.

Two of them are a couple. One woman comes from Toronto. Their stories don’t matter much as they have found peace in the Home at Adil Nagar.

Captain BL Srivastava shifted to the old age home with his wife recently.

“People in our society are still living in the past. They are afraid of accepting the reality that they require a better care and atmosphere to live in, which is available in old age homes. In our society people think more about what the people will say rather than what suits them better. That’s why they suffer neglected at their homes.”

He added, “My two sons are out of Lucknow. One is a major in the Army and the other one is settled in the USA. We have our own house but when I was offered to stay in the old age home by the in-charge of Old Age home Major VK Khare, I decided to shift here. Khare has also given me the responsibility of managing the daily affairs of the home. I am grateful to him as he had me busy with a constructive work.”

Ram Kumar, a retired engineer, was here to seek admission. He said, “ Our society has yet to recognise the importance of older people. Sometimes, old people are treated like unwanted commodities in their own houses but still they keep on living with their children for the sake of their reputation in the society.”

“I am here because my son is posted in Delhi and daughter is married in Kolkata. I have a house in Lucknow but there is no one to talk with my wife and me.

After shifting here at least there will be some people like me with whom we would be able to share our feelings,”

Retired engineer Arun Kumar resident of Alambagh said, “ I am fortunate enough to have a caring son and three daughters but people usually resist going to old-age homes as they don’t want to hurt their own children. Sometimes children don’t want their parents live away from their home. And elders usually avoid neglecting the views of their children. In other words youths can neglect the sentiments of their parents  but the parents can’t.”

85-year-old Raghunath Singh Yadav is happily living with his son he said, “ Money wise man has become richer but heart wise he has gone poor. Youths sometimes can be ruthless by ignoring elders but they always think of youths, their sentiments, their position and their honour in the society. Elders keep on avoiding moving into the old age homes because they love their children and don’t want to break their family.”

Old age homes could also be termed as home away from home feels Mayor SC Rai. Who had been actively involved in the construction of an old age home in Adil Nagar.

“ Everybody will be old one day, I am fortunate enough to have a home in Lucknow.  But at any stage of my life if I feel that my son is not interested in me, then surely I would go out and live in the old age home,” said Rai laughingly.

But his words reflected the pain of some people who have already shifted in old-age home in Adil Nagar run by Lucknow Municipal Corporation and Gayatri Parivar jointly.