PESHAWAR: Senior citizens in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa now have a home in Peshawar. Together, they spend their time playing carrom and watching television at the province’s first shelter for the elderly.
Last month, the provincial government inaugurated a senior citizens’ home in the provincial capital, which provides medical treatment, food, clothing and recreational facilities to the elderly. Any person over 60 years of age can be registered at the centre, which is located in Jehangirabad.
Resident Lal Zada, 77, has six children and suffers from a physical disability. He lost one his hands when it got caught in a machine at a plastics factory where he was previously employed. “I couldn’t afford the medical expenses and decided to come here for treatment,” he said. A doctor visits him and other members every evening.
Abdur Razaq, 80, says he was a well-to-do contractor and lived with his five sons and two daughters. “My children work as labourers and are not financially strong enough to afford my medical expenses,” Razaq said.
“All of them have large families so I wish I had given them an education,” he added. He heard about the senior citizens’ home and came here to get treated for a chest infection. Now he spends his time with his friends at the centre watching TV, playing board games and visiting the nearby mosque.
Muhammad Aslam, 75, has a similar story. A former employee of the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Aslam has nine children. Seven of his sons got married and their house became too congested to accommodate him so he moved to the old-age home.
The project manager at the senior citizens home, Khurshid Khan, said the building has a capacity for 25 people. Many of its residents, who are both from the province and the tribal areas, were homeless before staff members saw them and took them in. “When someone wants to go outside, one of our members goes with them because most people are not well,” Khan added.
The centre will establish district branches in Kohistan, Shangla and Battagram. The entire project is estimated to cost Rs14.8 million. In the second phase, the service will be extended to Torghar and Tank districts.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2012.
COMMENTS (6)
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@shakrullah: On closer reading it seems its being used as a clinic.....more then a old home. Elderly do need their personal space and poor congested homes may not afford that. One aspect is that the Hujra of rural Pakhtun society has not been reproduced in the Urban setting. Where it should be. That was the centre for elderly social life . A Hujra and nearby mosque. Thankfully in most villages this is still intact. If in Urban areas if a few homes collaborate they can set up a Hujra for the elderly,traveller, relatives going through a tight spot and youngster to learn a great deal in language,social skills,history,politics the world at large.. But with the prevalent model of Suburbia in KPK Urban areas ("Disturbia") of secluded paranoid existence of gated communities and "town ships" and 10 feet walls this may be very difficult to accomplish.
when will the retired general Musharraf arrive here? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Along with Gen Kayani?
Very good step of the government.
The inauguration of a senior citizen's home in Peshawar marks a watershed in the
soci-cultural history of Pukhtun society . We have always congratulted ourselves on the
fact that our extended family takes care of our aged , and assigns them a place of
reverence in its set-up .
For decades we have vaunted this fact as a sign of superiority of our culture to
the culture of the materialistic West where the elders are off-loaded in old people's homes, showing their decline in terms of human and moral values .
But , it appears , the march of urbanisation and indutrilisation has shaken up our
family set-up as well . The erosion of extended family has started . Should we accept this
change , or should we lament it as a sign of cultural degeneration ? What guidance do
we get from our religion on this issue ?
We should tell these old people that we are a nuclear power and our generals make sacrifices, they will feel pride and forget the sorry state they are in!
It is about time we put the money where our mouth is. All the waste on the huge army, WMD and war toys is not going to help improve the plight of poor massess. Let us take care of our young, old and weak first. This is a proof that secular democracy is bearing fruit for some if not all.