IN the vicinity of the Yamuna River is a warm and loving home where hundreds of people belonging to the same family live. If you take a closer look – this home is actually an NGO for old age people. In the home, 350 elders have a safe and comfortable place to live, eat regular and nutritious meals, have access to medical care and enjoy the companionship of one another. But life wasn’t always like this. Forced to live on the streets after being abandoned, these seniors suffered for a long time without food or water and were on the brink of death before being brought to Ram Lal Old Age Home, an NGO founded by Shiv Prasad Sharma.
Ram Lal Old Age Home was a response to the problem of the abandonment of senior citizens by their children. Many children demand the transfer of money or property over to them or simply don’t want to care for their parents anymore. When things don’t go their way, they argue with their aged parents, abuse them, refuse to give them food and even throw them out of the house where they roam the streets in desperation. This broke Shiv Prasad Sharma’s heart so he decided to rescue abandoned elders and care for them in his NGO for old age persons.
Why are senior citizens abused and abandoned?
There are more than 100 million people in India above the age of 60, i.e. senior citizens. Older people grapple with a multitude of issues such as worsening health, increased medical needs, shortage of finances and more. During this time of their lives, senior citizens depend on their trusted loved ones such as children and relatives to help them with their needs. But without this help, senior citizens are forced to do things on their own, which are often impossible for them. Their health is therefore neglected and they suffer with severe health complications which impact their well being and even leads to death.
In addition to neglect, there is the alarming issue of elder abuse. Because their bodies are weak and frail, older people cannot defend themselves when people half their age hit them, kick them, punch them and throw them down to the ground. If these scenarios appear shocking, it’s because these are some of the issues that abused seniors at Shiv Prasad Sharma’s NGO for old age citizens have faced. For different reasons, children turn against their parents and commit the crime of mental and physical abuse against them. With their distressed minds and weakened bodies, these parents are unable to bear the abuse. Having been thrown out of their homes, older people are known to take shelter under bridges or on street corners where they are in danger of being attacked by criminals and traffickers. This is in addition to living without food, water or shelter. In short, their lives are spent in suffering and mental anguish.
What made Shiv Prasad Sharma start his NGO?
Shiv Prasad Sharma shares the shocking experience that led him to start an NGO for old age people. “My father and I saw an old man sitting on a railway station platform. He was crying. We approached him and asked him what was wrong. He replied that he had been chased out of his own house by his three sons. My father and I tried to console him and said that we would take him with us to our house. He seemed to agree. So we walked to the counter to buy a ticket for him. When we returned, he had jumped in front of a train and died”.
This horrific incident shocked Shiv Prasad Sharma who left his Government job in the NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) and started an NGO for old age people mistreated by their families. He invested all the money he had in Ram Lal Old Age Home and even borrowed money from his family members to get the home up and running. Having turned his heartache into action, Shiv Prasad Sharma got straight to work building a safe and loving home where abused and abandoned seniors could live in an environment that embraced and protected them and made sure there is enough food, medical attention, emotional support and recreational activities to help them enjoy their lives once again. To support Ram Lal Old Age Home, you can donate here.
How Ram Lal Old Age Home cares for mistreated elders
The NGO for old age persons provides a spacious area that mistreated elders can now call their home. The home has a dining area where regular, fresh and nutritious meals are served to the residents whose bodies are able to regain the strength that was lost after so much deprivation. Ram Lal Old Age Home places special emphasis on medical care and has an expert team of doctors, nurses and caretakers to monitor each resident’s individual health and provide long-term holistic care, with the assistance of ambulances. In taking care of the basic needs of senior citizens, this NGO for old age persons gives them a safe place to recover from the trauma of having to live on the streets.
But in addition to their basic needs, Ram Lal Old Age Home also recognizes that these elders have experienced intense misery and torment in their old age and therefore, need emotional support and counseling. In a patient and compassionate manner, the residents of the home are counseled to overcome their pain and heartbreak at being abandoned by their families. The elders find comfort and companionship with each other and live the rest of their lives with those whom they consider friends – and even – new family members.
Support Ram Lal Old Age Home
But Ram Lal Old Age Home is running out of funds and needs support to keep the home open and continue caring for the seniors. Shiv Prasad Sharma makes this heartfelt plea: “I have invested all the money I have into Ram Lal Old Age Home – our NGO for old age people. Right now, there are more than 350 old people in our home. We are committed to care for them and give them treatment, enough nutrition and other basic needs but it is challenging with our limited funds.”
He goes on to share that the number of abandoned elders is increasing each day and that now, more than ever, there is a great need for their NGO for old age citizens who are languishing in isolation. “I often have tears in my eyes when I think about how I will keep our home running. But I know that, together, we can ease the suffering of these elders and keep this home open for them.” To support Ram Lal Old Age Home, you can donate here:
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Shirley has been in the development sector for over 10 years and is passionate about making a change in the world around her, including adopting dogs and writing to make a difference.
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