For 81-year-old Subramanian S., a resident of Rajajinagar, the lockdown has been a nightmare as his helper-cum-caretaker has not come to work since last Sunday. “He travels by public transport. He cooks, cleans and helps me with my daily chores. Without him, I feel completely helpless,” he said.
While his son, who lives in the U.S., has managed to get groceries and medicines delivered from a grocery store in the vicinity, he is unable to find help for other tasks. “My son is trying to get a help from one of the agencies. But they are telling him that there are no people available at the moment,” he said. Over the last three days, Mr. Subramanian, who is unable to cook, has survived on cornflakes and milk, and curd rice.
The lockdown is proving to be an arduous ask for senior citizens, who, if nothing else, would enjoy an evening walk. But now that their movement is curtailed, especially in the light of COVID-19 being seen as a potential risk to the elderly, many say they are feeling trapped.
The ones who are having most trouble coping with the situation are those whose mobility is limited or suffering from health issues, and live by themselves.
Lakshmi and Rajanna (names changed), who are 68 and 72 years, respectively, are struggling without their domestic help and cook. The siblings, residents of Basavanagudi, have started making adjustments. While cleaning of the house happens as and when they can manage, the number of meals has been reduced to two — a 10 a.m. brunch and 6.30 p.m. supper. Making three meals is impossible, they say.
Jalajakshi (name changed), 65, is more fortunate. She recently underwent a knee replacement surgery and the caretaker she hired soon after the surgery lives with her 24x7. Her physiotherapist, who used to come every day, has stopped coming.
While several agencies and NGOs are helping senior citizens by delivering essentials, the most challenging task for them is to do their daily chores and cooking. Incidentally, the Bengaluru City Police has also asked the elders helpline to remain closed and has said that their team, which manages 100, will run the show. “On Monday, the police told us to temporarily suspend services. But this is the time when senior citizens are in panic and want to reach out to us because they are lonely,” said S. Premkumar Raja, co-founder, Nightingales Medical Trust, which manages the Elders’ Helpline (1090) in collaboration with the Bengaluru police.
Sai Keshav, who is heading the initiative to help the elderly at Silver Talkies, a social platform that engages with the elderly, said that they had decided to reach out to senior citizens and deliver groceries and medicines at their doorstep. “Senior citizens can be at risk if they contract the virus. So we have decided to deliver essentials to them so that it eliminates their need to go out,” he said.
(This concludes the two-part series on senior citizens.)
