KOCHI: Old age brings with it health issues, loneliness and anxiety. And the sense of desperation can lead to depression.
At the Sree Poornathrayeesa Vridha Sadanam in Tripunithura, elderly women find relief through mutual support. Most of the 18 residents of the care home are single women in the 70-96 age group. They tide over the loneliness through devotion and celebration.
On Thursday, as Keralites marked ‘Uthradam’, also known as First or Little Onam, the women laid a beautiful pookkalam and came together to sing songs and share stories. At noon, they had a sumptuous Onam feast with a group of visitors. On Friday, Thiruvonam day, a bigger celebration has been planned.
“Everyday we receive calls from people begging for support. Kerala has become a society of forsaken elders. As the home functions out of a rented building, we cannot accommodate more people. The women here live as a community and finds happiness through mutual sharing,” said T D Gopalakrishnan, managing trustee of the sadanam.
The eldest of the residents is 96-year-old Saraswathi. “She came here around three years ago. Some relatives visit her frequently. She has health issues but finds happiness in celebrations,” said Gopalakrishnan.
A social activist from Irinjalakuda, Gopalakrishnan was initially involved in the administration of Sree Poornathrayeesa Balashramam in Tripunithura. Moved by the plight of women abandoned by their children, he started the Vridha Sadanam in 2012. His wife Leela and five staffers take care of the residents.
“The sense of loneliness is the biggest concern for these mothers. It comes as a relief when people volunteer to spend time with them. Apart from the prayers, they join us in cooking and daily chores. In the afternoon, they sit together and crack jokes. We provide them regular health check ups and medicines. They bury their agony through shared love,” he said.
Santha Devi was a teacher at TD School in Kochi. She arrived at the care home after her husband’s death. Her only daughter is married and settled. A brother who lives in Kochi visits her frequently. “I don’t have health issues and I am happy in this community,” the 72-year-old said.
Meenamani, 81, is a movie buff. “I was born into an affluent family in Kochi and my husband Vidya Sagar was a bus owner. We lost everything as the business failed.”
As the couple did not have any children, Meenamani ended up in the Vridha Sadanam. “My husband’s property in Eloor was acquired for the FACT plant and we lost our property in Ravipuram due to the business loss. I have health issues but I am happy in this big family,” she said.
For 86-year-old Radhamma, who retired from government service as a nursing superintendent, relief comes from helping the inmates.
“After retirement, I had lived at the Sree Ramakrishna Mission Ashram in Haridwar along with my husband for 15 years. But after my husband developed health issues we returned to Kerala. He had blood cancer. The death of my husband and brother pushed me into depression and I came here,” she said.
Gopalakrishnan also runs a palliative care centre in Tripunithura where they attend to four bedridden patients. “We regularly care for around 70 terminally ill patients through home visits. My dream is to purchase my own land and establish a bigger vridha sadanam where we can take care of more people,” he added.
Act of compassion
A social activist from Irinjalakuda, Gopalakrishnan was moved by the plight of women abandoned by their children and started the Vridha Sadanam in 2012. His wife Leela and five staffers take care of the residents