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🌿|Old Age Homes: A home for the aged|🌿

♠️Old Age Homes: A home for the aged♠️
Written by- @aarushirajguru

In today’s times, the challenge of taking care of your parents along with work and other necessary things, is a big one. Many young couples shift to foreign countries, leaving their parents stranded with no immediate help or company. To prevent this, people often leave their parents in old age homes, so that they can be taken care of.

What is an old age home?
Old age homes are simply defined as institutions where old people can stay and are taken care of. Other names include ‘retirement homes’, ‘nursing homes’, etc.

Food, shelter and safety are all accounted for in an old age home. Senior citizens enjoy the company of people their age. This comes as a boon in current times, when people are busy with their work and family. Most of them see their own parents as burden.

Why an old age home?
Elderly people often have severe complications related to digestion, heart, movement, etc. They need someone who can care for them along with being a supportive company. When their own children find it difficult to do this, they feel depressed, lonely and helpless.

In an old age home though, there are other people who are of the same age, share the same experience and thoughts. We always want our friends to be mainly of our age. So do the old. With other people of their age, they can interact freely, discuss about their problems and seek support. Not only this, but they can help the other residents face their problems.

Along with this, food and security are also covered. An old age home is a safe place where there is access to healthy food and a good shelter. Old people don’t need to worry about anything related to this. Also, if any health complication arises, there will always be people to take them to the hospital and be with them. The staff are mostly trained with the basic necessities that they require. Recreational activities are also conducted.

Is an old age home the best place?
Agreed, old age homes are a place where the elderly can stay without being lonely.
But accommodation is expensive. Many senior citizens have their pensions as their only source of income, or the money that their children send to them. In this case, it becomes difficult for them to pay for an old age home. But if their children pitch in, this issue could be solved.
Sometimes, the old age homes charge a lot of money and offer few services. Here, it is a waste of money. An ideal old age home should take money and offer services in an equal ratio.
In an old age home, there is a lack of personal space. Everything is shared and sometimes there are cases where a person might feel depressed and frustrated. There is sometimes a strict scheduled which has to be followed.
Another thing is that in some old age homes, there is no proper care provided. There have been disturbing cases where old age homes have indulged in abuse. It is better to personally check an old age home and its surrounding before proceeding further.

Is there any other option?
Yes, there is. Home service, where a caretaker is hired to help old people in their daily chores, is a common phenomenon. This is also a costly option, but it guarantees personal space to the old, since they live in their own homes. But there can be a feeling of loneliness sometimes.

In my opinion, an old age home is a good place for old people. Like us, they have their own dignity, they don’t want to be a burden of any sort for their children. In an old age home, they can be in a group where the others also share the same feelings. Here, they can be happy.

A simple game of cards is all it takes to cheer up an old person.