MY DREAM OF A SECURED HAVEN FOR ELDERS

“Four months and 8 senior citizens murdered in Mumbai “ today’s breaking news

“In Delhi on an average one case in 15 days of senior citizens being looted or murdered” another news

We cannot just shy away from these shattering statistics. This statistic forces all of us to take a pause and think.

In India these days due to incept of nuclear families, young generation going abroad or in another cities for better career growth, or the trend of enjoying independent life has forced the parents to live all alone.

In good old golden days we had joint families system, so the problem of loneliness, segregation, were not there and we could not think of leaving our parents to live their life alone . A whole lot of family members were there to take care of each other in times of sickness or other family crisis.

But now it has become very common to find old parents staying alone in big houses at the mercy of servants, fending for themselves on their own, managing their health, wealth issues on their own and taking care of each other on their own and becoming easy target for the thieves and criminals.

The young generation involved with their own nuclear families, their jobs, their ambitions, their life style visit their parents once in a year ( if settled abroad) or once in a week that too out of sheer moral duty ( with most of the times no feelings) .They think that visiting or sending money or talking on the phone regularly relieves them of their duties and responsibilities.

I am not saying that children should not dream of achieving their ambitions and live the way they want or think about their future or thier children's.

But some solution has to be found to save the parents becoming easy prey for cheating, theft, loneliness, getting emotionally blackmailed by people who will play on their emotions and finally succumbing to getting murdered.

With the changing times and globalization this problem is going to be there and parents will often find themselves in such situations and children will be in a fix whether to explore their dreams or give up their ambitions for parents.

Parents are not selfish that they will restrict the growth of their children for their own personal needs. Afterall it is their dream to see their children well settled and florish.

I have my own ideas to deal with this issue.

If the children are staying in the same city then if possible they should stay in the same neighborhood so that the young ones can enjoy their independence and parents have the security that the children are there when ever they need them.

And most important my Dream From last so may days I have been nurturing a dream. A dream of providing friendly, secured environment to this vulnerable section of our society.

(Now please don’t laugh) after all dreams know no boundaries. I can venture any where.

I dream that I have had a windfall of money and with the millions of Rupees which I have got; I am constructing a huge residential complex with half of it earmarked for senior citizens only. (Rest for young generation with small children)

I dream of having a building complex where such lonely parents will live in their individual flats but will share the joys and sorrows of each other with other fellow lonely senior citizens, they will share all festivals together, be there for others to take care in times of sickness (after all the children are not there to look after them) The members will either help each others or employ someone who will assist them in paying the bills, insurance premiums, bank work etc

The complex will be equipped with all necessary shops (grocery, chemist, tailor, barber, doctor) A proper security system will be there to safe guard them.

A common club house where there will be yoga, meditation classes, or some other facilities for the senior citizens to pursue their hobbies and interests.

The complex will have young generation also staying (all those nuclear family believers) to provide the bubbly youth environment to the inmates and bring back the smiles back on their faces. The presence of small children will help the elders forget their own grand children and they will get a chance to pamper the kids (the way the parents would have done if their own grandchildren were there)

THIS SOUNDS LIKE A DREAM WORLD AND VERY FAR FETCHING?

Any takers for this idea? Do you thing this is feasible?

or do you have some solution for this burning problem which is bothering the Police, the judiciary, the new set of parents who are on the thresh hold of entering the category of lonely parents and of course the children who are in a dilemma whether to pursue their dreams or trade their ambitions for their duties and responsbilies