The writer is an Associate Professor at the Department of Family Medicine at Aga Khan University
An 81-year-old woman is seen by her doctor for weakness. Frail, homebound and alone, her only source of nutrition has been juice and biscuits as she is too weak to cook and shop for herself. She has an unreliable housemaid who often steals her money and only occasionally stocks her pantry. Her doctor struggles to come up with a solution; her needs are not so much medical as social.
In another part of the town, an elderly couple lives precariously due to ill health, poor social support and finances. Living in an apartment, the husband endures severe knee pain to climb down once a week to shop for necessities. They both get by, often by eating leftover food. His wife has not stepped out of her home for more than six months after her hip surgery. Their only daughter lives abroad and manages to visit once a year.
Unfortunately, in recent times, such scenarios are becoming increasingly common. Even though most elders in our society are looked after with love and devotion, the number of aged with poor resources and scant social support are rising. They often live in dire straits due to lack of societal and governmental support. Moreover, assisted living and nursing homes are frowned upon and considered an unfavourable import of Western culture.
The growing reality, however, is that joint family systems are on the decline and ageing parents are at times left alone when their children seek livelihoods abroad. Moreover, as our society struggles with massive financial, social and political issues, the elderly often have to bear the brunt of being sidelined when families struggle with meagre resources.
Homes provide the best environment to most seniors, where they live surrounded by family. But when an elderly is faced with issues like an inability to care for oneself, in the absence of family support, a well-run elderly home is a practical solution. While many may find such establishments hard to embrace, a societal acknowledgment of their need is an important step in accepting the current reality. Once the stigma attached with such institutions diminishes, our society may contemplate assisted living as a feasible living option for the elderly, who could then live their lives in safety, enjoy social contact and most importantly, have basic amenities available to them.
The nursing homes currently in existence in Karachi are mainly run by minority communities. There is a need to have homes that are more secular and cater to the needs of the elderly of all religious backgrounds.
One such nursing home is the Ida Rieu Mowjee Home for the elderly. A quick visit reveals a clean and well-structured building constructed on a huge airy campus. In its early years of development, it promises to start filling a much-needed gap in our society. A few other similar facilities exist scattered in different parts of Karachi.
For those exploring such an option, a crucial step is to see how these homes are run. The key features of a well-run nursing home are presence of structure and schedule while also allowing a level of independence suitable to the needs of its elderly residents. In addition to providing basic amenities like food and shelter it also lends support to those who are incapable of carrying out basic activities while catering to the basic medical and social needs of its residents.
Our society needs to accept the inevitability of such alternative living situations that can shoulder the responsibility of our socially marginalised seniors. The government should also acknowledge its responsibility towards the aged and work towards similar solutions.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 17th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS (3)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ