Even at 83, M Narayanaswamy works as a painter to eke out a living. He
too finds solace in spending his day at Sandhya Kiran. He lives with his
68-year-old wife, a maid. The house owner has given them a room to
stay. "Earlier, we stayed with our son for some time, but felt
uncomfortable. Before things got worse, we stepped out," he told TOI.
From 6 elders in 2004 to 60 now, Sandhya Kiran has grown remarkably
since its inception. It's the first and only daycare centre that is
jointly run by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and
Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT).The centre also provides day care for
those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease. While NMT runs
the centre, BBMP has provided land behind the hockey stadium.
Most elders faced some kind of emotional abuse in the past. What the
centre tries to give them is a sense of purpose in their autumn years.
Some of them manage to support their struggling children too.
Sabitha Vishwanath's son is an autorickshaw driver who struggles to
meet both ends meet as his wife is partially paralyzed. "My son is
already burdened - he has to look after two children and meet medical
expenses of his wife. I don't want him to worry about me. After getting
children ready for school, I come to the centre. My food and health
requirements are taken care of here. There's a weekly health checkup. I
have friends who are of my age and can understand what I am going
through," Sabitha, who earns about Rs 1,000 - Rs 1,500 per month, said.
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