5 Old Age Homes In India That Are Giving The Elderly A Dignified Life

“I have sacrificed my whole life for my children, but now they say they don’t need me. I was on the streets for days without any food. I thought someone, at some point, would stop and help me. But no one did. Do we become useless when we can’t help our children and family anymore? Is that our only worth? I was heartbroken when they threw me out, but today, I’m happy in this old age home. I’ve gotten the love and respect that I never had in my own house. I’ve found a family right here.”

Talk to any senior citizen in an old age home, and the story will seem awfully similar to the one above. These are stories of neglect, abandonment, and heartbreak. Hundreds of elderly people are abused and left to fend for themselves during the last few years of their lives; a time when they’re supposed to be taken care of and supported.

However, there are a number of old age homes across India that are giving these vulnerable people a place they can call home, and a number of people who have made it their mission to save and care for them.

Here are 5 old age homes in India that are filling the lives of hundreds of senior citizens with love and hope:

1. SMIT Old Age Home and Care Foundation

Started by Yojana Gharat in 2017, SMIT Old Age Home And Care Foundation is a safe home for destitute and abandoned senior citizens. Today, all the seniors living there are her extended family. Most of them are destitute, some suffer from mental illnesses and some have been abandoned. Yojana takes care of all of them as her own and works hard every day to give them a better life than they had before. For them, she is a ray of hope during their darkest times. Yojana currently takes care of 85 senior citizens in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, and is determined to give them a better life during their last years.

2. Sadbhavna Vrudhashram

Vijay Dobariya started Sadbhavna Vrudhashram in Rajkot to care for the elderly by providing them with basic medicines, daily amenities and by giving them some financial support since they don’t have dependents or pensions. What started with just seven senior citizens, has now grown to a home for 256+ people, of which 90+ people are bedridden, have cancer, or suffer from disabilities due to having lost their limbs, eyes, or other body parts.

3. Saint Hardyal Educational and Orphan Welfare Society (SHEOWS)

Dr. GP Bhagat found several elderly people lying on the road, often in mental and physical states that didn’t allow them to care for themselves. That’s when Saint Hardyal Educational and Orphan Welfare Society (SHEOWS) was born. What began as a modest outfit that provided for a little over 10 such members now caters to the welfare of over 300 senior men and women. SHEOWS is currently running 2 old age homes, Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram of Delhi and Garhmukteshwar, since 2003 and 2008 respectively. These are the homes of 350+ old men and women found alone and abandoned. In the last 18 years, Dr. Bhagat has rescued nearly 6000 elders out of which more than 1,816 have been rehabilitated.

4. Ramlal Old Age Home

Ramlal Old Age Home is situated on the banks of the holy river Yamuna and has been operational for over 12 years. They provide safe, spacious, furnished rooms for old people with attached washrooms and personal assistants to help residents move about, bathe, eat, etc. Around 350 old men and women call this their home and here they are treated like family. Ramlal Old Age Home provides entertainment to keep the elderly mentally active and prevent depression including cow cuddling sessions, park visits, satsang bhavan, etc. They also provide wholesome and nutritious meals to keep the residents physically healthy and nourished.

5. Fatima Old Age Home

Fatima Old Age Home in Hyderabad is doing a commendable job in giving shelter to the elderly and providing them with a safe and comfortable life. They’re a Government registered NGO dedicated to providing a home to aging elderly women of any community and provide them with the necessary care, love, and day-to-day facilities which include food, accommodation, clothing, medical, and physiotherapy. The organization also works extensively for the society like helping the needy with education, distributing meals during the month of Ramzan, taking care of cancer patients, etc.

You can support other fundraisers for the elderly here.