The phone ringing at an unearthly hour sends shudders down my spine and I break out in cold sweat. When I was stationed abroad, an early morning call to my parents back in India was a painful everyday ritual, filled with guilt and agony, as I feared that there may be an emergency situation. Life felt like a ticking time bomb ready to go off any moment, and I had no control over it!
This is the story of many a family living in lands where destiny has taken them far away from their parents. Parents who nurtured and sacrificed their all to give wings to their children to fly, but now are left alone and helpless.
For those of you who feel this way, there is a ray of hope as senior living facilities managed by trained, competent staff are mushrooming everywhere. For these dedicated staff, caring for the senior citizens is their calling rather than a vocation. As India is growing as an Aging Nation according to the WHO definition, there is a need for such facilities.
For the residents, life in such a facility is no different from their own homes. It’s a home away from home, except for the fact that they are more secure and all their needs are catered to. There are caregivers for those who need assistance with activities of daily living. Those who can live independently can do so, but there is always help when required. They are always under the watchful eyes of the dedicated staff.
Most facilities have a recreation hall, where the residents can relax, read books from the library, play indoor games or just sit and chat over a cup of tea. The kitchen and beautiful dining space manned by competent staff and chefs churn out healthy culinary delights catering to individual needs and tastes.
Dr. R Padmawathi, a renowned psychiatrist says, ” When you have two people of relatively the same age, there is synergy in their interactions, which promotes a sense of well-being in both parties.”
There is no better choice than a senior living facility for the parents whom you love when you are miles and miles away and want to rest assured that your parents are in a safe nest. Make the right choice!
The author Dr. Ruby Samuel Varghese is a Family Physician at Season Two Senior Living Facility in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. For Dr. Ruby it is a calling because she has experienced firsthand the trauma that both parents and children go through while she was working abroad while her parents were in India. Now she considers it her duty to give back to society
