Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Last steps of life the most painful

LEFT UNCARED: Pitchai of Thirumangalam.

Coimbatore: Incidents of aged people being deserted on the streets are on the rise.Neither the children care for their parents nor society has a system to support them. It is pathetic that even the administrative systems 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. 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. 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.

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

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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