The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Aged turning helpless as children turn ungrateful

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Sunday, Jun 28, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Aged turning helpless as children turn ungrateful

V.S. Palaniappan

Coimbatore: Incidents of aged people being deserted on the streets are on the rise leaving them helpless as a result of thankless children.

Neither the children care for their parents nor the society has a system to support them when they are tired and worn out. It is pathetic that even the administrative system do not have an organised procedure to assure decent last days for the senior citizens.

Offering concessions to senior citizens would be just populist schemes but there has to be a system to prevent senior citizens becoming orphaned, says Vanitha of Sharanalayam.

Increasing number of such old people is an indication for those earning today to save for the future so that they could fend for themselves when they could not earn their livelihood, she added. When the pocket goes dry and earning comes to an end, these aged citizens have nobody to even lean on.

Old age has to be revered but here it not even respected but are seen as a liability. Having lived a life for children and grandchildren, their last days are turning out to be miserable. T

his raises a question whether the Old-Age Pension scheme is serving the purpose and reaching all the target beneficiaries.

A 76-year-old lean, weak and feeble Pitchai of Thirumangalam was rescued from the heaps of garbage near Pollachi and is now lodged at Sharanalayam, where his food, clothing and shelter stands assured now. He was found among heaps of garbage with a stinking dress and was shivering among flies with which he was battling for his share of food from the garbage bin.

After a wash and food, Pitchai opened his mouth just to say that he has two sons and three daughters yet on the roads. Shuttling between the houses of sons and daughters for food, he decided to take up some job rather than facing humiliation. He landed in Thanjavur and worked there till his legs supported him.

When the legs started bending down, he also bowed down and failing vision made his life worse and immobile.

This is just a tip of the iceberg. Sharanalayam, a home for the children of God near Kinathukkadavu, is today taking care of more than 300 needy children and old-age people.

Everyday more than 25 poor old people walk into Sharanalayam for one full meal. Sharanalayam has many such old age people who have been rescued and given shelter and on death they had been given a decent cremation.

At Sharanalayam they get three full meals, shelter, medical attention and a life full of joy. Sharanalayam intends to start a separate home for such orphaned old people with basic facilities.

The home for the homeless requests the support of philanthropists to join in this journey for the aged for getting land and building to create a home of love, care and concern for the aged.

All helping hands could reach Sharanalayam on 98422 54204.

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