Youth’s Perspective on Respecting Parents
Parents spend their entire life in making sure that their children get a luxurious or may be at least a comfortable life. They heed to their likes, dislikes, wants, needs and preferences and have a solution to all their problems. However, once the children grow up they tend to have a different perspective towards their parents. For them their parents become a burden on their shoulders. This fact seems to be gaining strength through the increasing number of Old Age Homes in India.
Heera Lal, a resident at Rana OAH, reading a newspaper
India has more than 1,000 old age homes and according to a joint report by Help Age International and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in 2012 there were 100 million elderly people in India, this figure now is expected to increase by 323 million, in 2050. Looking at this fact, the Government of India has taken a step for providing financial support to the Old Age Homes (OAH), where at least twenty-five destitute senior people will be resident. The service includes 90% of the finance for staff allowance, building (rent/ maintenance), health care, leisure facilities provided by the government and only 10% of the remaining charge will be accountable to the OAH.
In India, Andhra Pradesh tops the chart when it comes to old age homes with one hundred and five, whereas Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir have hardly any. The National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi provides Old Age Home to elderly persons. These old age homes are situated in two places- one at Bindapur, Dwarka, New Delhi and controlled directly by the NCT and the other one at Lampur being run in collaboration with an NGO. The details of the Old Age Homes are as follows:
Usha a Caretaker at the Old Age Home feeding a resident
Old Age Home at Bindapur: The home consists of 50 members out of which eleven employees work under supervision of the superintendent. The home has facilities to take care of basic and necessary needs like- First-Aid Centre, one part-time doctor, nurse etc. Elderly people who are in the age group of sixty and above and who are not suffering from any communicable diseases can be a resident of this home.
Old Age Home at Lampur: Built to shelter hundred inmates, plus nine employees’ including- part-time doctor, nurse and Programme Manager. The home is run by NCT with collaboration of an NGO called Delhi Brotherhood Society. NCT signed an agreement with the NGO in September 2009, according to which 50% of the seats will be given to NCT nominees and 50% would be paid.
When Manasvi Sharma from One World News asked youngsters about what they had to say on Old Age Home, these were their replies:
“I personally feel that Old Age Homes (OAH) should be abolished because it is not what our culture teaches us.” said Arvind Goswami, MCA student.
Paro, a resident at Rana Old Age Home
Shreshth Jain, a graduate pass out from DU said, “According to me, many youngsters do not respect the elders until and unless they know them. Children crib on social networking sites blaming their parents for useless things like not buying them their desired car, bike, mobile phones etc. though I am personally against Old Age Home but for those who are neglected by their family unfortunately they have to live there.”
“Yes, the youth does respect their elders but only when they are related to them. When I travel in metros and buses, the youngsters do notice me standing in front of them but instead of offering the seat they start pretending to fall asleep or tend to avoid.” said Ramakant Gautama, Supervisor of Cross River Mall (CRM).
“Firstly, the youth does not respect anyone who is not their family member and on the contrary they consider themselves to be ‘modern’ ”, said Subhash Chandra, Member of Chief Financial Expenditure in Indian Baltic Business Chamber.
Rana Old Age Home, situated in Saket, serves neglected senior citizens who are in search for a shelter. Here are a few members of the OAH who are sharing their part of the story:
Rekha Sehwal, a caretaker looking after a senior citizen
“I used to live in Maharani Bagh but then my son decided to leave India. He wanted me to come along but I didn’t want to go, so I found out about Rana Old Age Home and since then I am staying here. The people here are nice and caring, we are provided food on time. What else one can someone desire for, at this age?” said Heera Lal, 82, a resident at Rana Old Age Home, Saket.
Resident at Rana OAH since last two months, Paro (75) expressed why she came here, “I came here as I could not serve anymore to my madam this is why she sent me here.”
Rekha, 29, caretaker at Rana OAH, informed us about the private home services that the OAH offers to the public, “The OAH has facility for home services as well. An attendant or a nurse will go to a home when contacted.” She further added, “My monthly salary stands at 6,000 rupees a month which is for 24×7 including all basic facilities like food, cloth and shelter.”
Swaran Kapoor with her daughter like Daughter-In-Law, Kiran Kapoor
‘Every coin has two sides to it’, the lines of a well-known saying will be left unjustified if only the people who have sacrificed and faced a rough time in their lives are being talked about. So, here is the joyful journey of Swaran Kapoor, 75, a mother-in-law who shared her simple beliefs of a happy and loving mother-daughter-in-law relationship stating, “I treat my daughter-in-law as my daughter because she gives me that respect and love. We chat about our daily routine and worries like any daughter-mother would. People must change their mentality of ‘ye bahu hai beti nahi’( daughters are different from daughter-in-laws), if they want to enjoy their life with zeal.”
Kiran Kapoor, 50, daughter-in-law of Swaran Kapoor said, “I have been living with my in-laws since past thirty years, in the same house and we all have immense love and respect for each other. My mother-in-law is just like a mother to me, she takes care of me if I ever fall ill, this not only increases our respect but even a strong emotional bond with each other.”
The simple way to get rid of the OAH is to educate the seniors that the thinking, living style and traditions should be modified according to the level of comfort. In the same way the youth should be educated well so, that they don’t make their parents go through the rough phase of feeling of loneliness and communication gap.
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