In any Senior Citizen home, there are good Samaritans who are ever willing to help anyone who needs help. I want to share my recent experience in the Home where I live now.
I
have been suffering pain in the Hip/Thigh joints during my morning walks for
the last several years. I manage by taking short rest breaks and walking for 30
minutes. Since my return from Chennai more than a month ago, I find that this
pain keeps recurring even during the daytime at home. I decided to consult a
good orthopedic surgeon to ensure that I was not suffering from any silent bone
injury during my recent accident in Chennai. My good friend Bala in the
community fixed the appointment with a well-known Orthopedist, who has a clinic
located close by. Since my daughter, based in Coimbatore, was out of station, I
accepted Bala`s offer to accompany me to the Clinic. He stayed with me for more
than two hours until the examination was over and the doctor informed me of his
diagnosis and suggested treatment. I was happy to hear that my bones were
intact and that I was only suffering from stiff muscles, common among senior
citizens. Since we were late for the scheduled lunch hours at the dining hall,
Bala took me to his apartment in the complex, and his wife served me a
delicious home-cooked meal. It was a wonderful gesture by Bala and his wife. I
also found that Bala extends such help to a few other Super seniors in the
community.
In the case of
residents whose mobility is restricted and those who need assistance to get
jobs done outside the campus or who are feeling lonely and don't have any near
and dear ones in Coimbatore, there is a `WE CARE`- an informal group of
volunteers in Phase 4 of Nana Nani.. It consists of able-bodied residents who
offer their services to those who require some help. The resident has to post
his or her problem in the WA family group of Phase 4, Someone in the group
responds immediately and helps in solving the problem. In cases of emergencies
where a resident has to be admitted to a hospital, such volunteers, if
necessary, also act as caregivers until a family member comes and takes
charge. Though this informal support system is not very active now,
able-bodied senior citizens like Bala continue to offer help as a service to
needy seniors in the community.
In addition to
the reliable medical facilities available on the campus, this kind of help from
volunteers boosts the confidence level of those residents who are staying
alone, like me, or old couples with mobility problems in the community. This is
one more reason why senior citizens with children living abroad or in other
cities in India could consider living in such homes, because there is better
security and possibilities of getting an immediate response to problems faced
by them. This could also be one of the reasons why there are many residents
with their children staying in Coimbatore, living in the community.
