In Hyderabad, a home for the elderly that erases lines of religion and faith

As cases started to dwindle by October and a third wave was not in sight, the isolation centre was closed down and three months later, the foundation started the home for the aged in January. (Express Photo by Rahul V Pisharody)

These scenes from a nondescript building on the premises of a mosque, situated beside the PVNR expressway leading to Hyderabad city from the international airport, are a reminder that even though the faiths of its occupants may differ, their lives have united them in their swansong.

They are inmates of a free-of-cost geriatric care centre run by the Helping Hand Foundation at Masjid-e-Mohammadia near the Aramghar crossroads. Ask Vivekananda why he calls Chaush and Mahmood his best friends, he says: “We have similar issues at home.” All of them have landed at the centre owing to the complexities of old age and compatibility issues at home.

The two-storeyed building, constructed for a school that never started operations due to the pandemic, was opened as a Covid-19 isolation care centre for the poor. (Express Photo by Rahul V Pisharody)

“Some were abandoned, some like Vivekananda came out of their own choice and some due to the inability of their families to take care of them. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we noticed that many families were finding it difficult to take care of their elders due to reduced incomes or loss of livelihood,” notes Mohammed Fareedullah or Fareed, who manages the facility.

The two-storeyed building, constructed for a school that never started operations due to the pandemic, was opened as a Covid-19 isolation care centre for the poor. As cases started to dwindle by October and a third wave was not in sight, the isolation centre was closed down and three months later, the foundation started the home for the aged in January.

At present, 18 men and 21 women are housed here in 11 rooms. Five of them are visually impaired and ten are bedridden. (Express Photo by Rahul V Pisharody)

Though the home came into being due to a lack of affordable facilities for the elderly in Hyderabad, for Mujtaba Hasan Askari of the Helping Hand Foundation, it is also a platform to demonstrate that humanity is what binds all. “In times of rising intolerance and polarisation (in the country), we wanted to ensure that the place is open for all and there are no inhibitions. We keep the environment positive, stress on love, respect and care, and there are absolutely no feelings of caste, creed or religion. I feel humanity is the thread which joins everyone,” he says.

The centre is visited by a physician and physiotherapist every day, and has full-time nurses, bedside assistants, housekeeping staff and an in-house pharmacy. A dentist visits the inmates on Fridays and a psychiatrist is available every two weeks.

At present, 18 men and 21 women are housed here in 11 rooms. Five of them are visually impaired and ten are bedridden. Four inmates who joined as bedridden patients have started to walk already, adds Fareed. The foundation hopes to start more such free-of-cost geriatric care centres if everything goes as planned.