Forever young

Look at my experience I am 79 years old, a retired Police Inspector, hearty and healthy during my days of active service and also a winner of the President8217;s medal. Till to-day I am very happy, healthy and strong. I always feel motivated to do some constructive work every day. I visit orphan schools on festival days and distribute sweets and feel happy when I see the smiling faces of children. I thank God for allowing me to seek these opportunities.

I am a member of Senior Citizen club of Sangli city. Many of my friends who are my age are not happy as I am, because they are under the burden of their sons or other kin, physically, financially or psychologically, because they have lost the sense of independence. They should have calculated the risk of being either neglected by their kin in old age before they were inching retirement. Now they look at the life as an empty glass full of depression.

Many of them have taken shelter in old age homes in different cities. Here, they are provided with food, shelter, minor medical help and the common entertainment of news papers or television. Generally discussions with them about their health projected the image that they were passing their days, being discarded by relatives, even sons, and were not happy psychologically.

My old friends complain that they are be set by feelings of helplessness, dependence and enforced loneliness, by friends and relatives except wives who turn their back on them or give very little of their time to them. They are totally ignored or neglected. Providing an isolated room in a house or a corner in a flat, two meals, tea and minor medical help, are not the real needs of the elderly who from bottom of their hearts only aspire for true affection, love, trust, stress-free amiable or pleasant conversation.

Once when, I was profusely bleeding and was admitted to the hospital by neighbours. I was attended by sons, grandsons, and other relatives. Every material help was looked after by them and they would visit me during the day. But when darkness enveloped the environment, the visible absence of my relatives, had crippled my will to live.

So long as both father and mother stand on their feel every relative will love them even when they are old. I also agree with the younger generation expectations of elders. Elders should not advise them, unless asked for and should not interfere with their daily life. Elders should eschew the temptation of expressing their past history or describe their ailments every now and then. Elders should avoid provocative conversation as it leads no one how here.

Despite these up and downs of old age I see old age as a blossom of flowers. I take every interest in life and feel that we should enjoy it as this is the only life we have. I have understood that even if other people contribute to your depression, you should remain cool. If you check your diet, activities and begin mixing with the other senior citizens, visit orphanages and other institutions, love children and buy sweetmeats as a small gesture occasionally, and have faith in the almighty, old age will seem more like a blessing in disguise. We should do more in this age than what we did when we were young. This is my message to my old friends8217; for Elders8217; Day.