An old school friend called
me from Bangalore today. She recently lost her mother and I could not muster
courage to call her when I first learnt about it from other sources.
Today, when she called and we
got chatting about how the last few days were – the vacuum this loss created in
their lives, way forward and old memories
Slowly we drifted to other
topics - education, values, charity, her children, corporate life and something
that caught my attention was when she said,
How can only money help if a senior needs to visit the hospital for a regular check up and has to run around filling forms, or to different quarters for doctors, tests, reports and payments?
The needs seem very simple and yet it is very crucial for the well being of this generation who are in their late sixties.
My friend does this religiously - meeting seniors in her area on Saturdays just for a heart to heart chat. I almost choked when I tried to imagine the selflessness of the act and the impact it could possible have on these people.
We all have choices
We either get into that global gyan mode of sermonizing what their children could have done, how parents could have inculcated those values in them to take care of seniors or
What moved her to tears and gave me goose bumps was when she mentioned that one of her friends was having a walk early in the morning one day, when a senior person, called her and suddenly asked her to join her for lunch that day.
"Why Aunty? What special today?"
The senior lady's answer to that question sums up her entire life and existence. How lonely she must be to call an almost stranger or a random acquaintance walking on the road for lunch - to give her company.
Please promise us that you will try this with the senior neighbors and relatives, this Christmas.
You definitely do not want another lonely voice to ask you to join her/ him for lunch - just hoping for some company on a special day.
To keep a senior's dignity intact, just reverse the role and call them instead.
Write to ramosara.foundation@gmail.com about experiences you want to share regarding senior living and dignified ageing to create awareness about lifestyle choices.
They are affluent, reasonably healthy and probably travel through technology to their children lives, every second day - the SKYPE, Watsapp and the Duo. It is not about money or convenience.
“We will lose many people (she quoted a percentage, which I am unable to recall now) from this area in the next few years because mostly retired people stay here whose children are far away"
How can only money help if a senior needs to visit the hospital for a regular check up and has to run around filling forms, or to different quarters for doctors, tests, reports and payments?
The needs seem very simple and yet it is very crucial for the well being of this generation who are in their late sixties.
Someone to talk to
Some one who can escort to the hospital
My friend does this religiously - meeting seniors in her area on Saturdays just for a heart to heart chat. I almost choked when I tried to imagine the selflessness of the act and the impact it could possible have on these people.
We all have choices
We either get into that global gyan mode of sermonizing what their children could have done, how parents could have inculcated those values in them to take care of seniors or
Just do our bit
What moved her to tears and gave me goose bumps was when she mentioned that one of her friends was having a walk early in the morning one day, when a senior person, called her and suddenly asked her to join her for lunch that day.
"Why Aunty? What special today?"
The senior lady's answer to that question sums up her entire life and existence. How lonely she must be to call an almost stranger or a random acquaintance walking on the road for lunch - to give her company.
"It is my birthday, today"
Please promise us that you will try this with the senior neighbors and relatives, this Christmas.
 |
| Image Credit: Canva Design |
You definitely do not want another lonely voice to ask you to join her/ him for lunch - just hoping for some company on a special day.
To keep a senior's dignity intact, just reverse the role and call them instead.
Write to ramosara.foundation@gmail.com about experiences you want to share regarding senior living and dignified ageing to create awareness about lifestyle choices.
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