one of his legs. He was helpless, exposed to diseases and uncared for. It is saddening to come across such old people living in dire poverty without proper

food or shelter. The incident reminded me of lack of provisions for the disabled and the old people of the country.

Plight of the elderly

Elderly people are often in need of great attention and affection. We should always remember that someday when we grow old, our situation might not be any different from theirs.

Sometime back, I read of an incident where a helpless disabled woman in her eighties who was found inside a sack with rope tied over her mouth. She was thrown near the Bagmati river under the Sinamangal Bridge. All of this was the doing of her son.With the help of the locals and the police, she was rescued in an unconscious state and immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Parents do their best to provide for their children. They guide their kids, correct their mistakes they do best to bring out the best in them. However, when the children grow old and able to support their parents financially, they instead send them to old age homes as unwanted people.

A responsibility to fulfil

I remember watching a programme on a Nepali news channel that broadcast about elderly people living in old age homes across Kathmandu Valley. I thought to myself, how they must have felt when their own sons and daughters left them in such a deplorable stage. Still these old parents wish their children well. Therefore, we, as their next of kin are the only people responsible for taking

care of the old people around us. It is necessary to understand that sending the elderly to old age homes does not qualify as fulfilling the  responsibility towards one’s aging parents. Old age homes only provide food and medicine and not the true love that these aged people long for and expect their children to give.

After the success of the Janandolan II, there has been a change in our system and Nepal has transformed into a federal republican democratic country. But even after such a huge transformation, neither the government nor the organisations involved in caring for the elderly and the poor have been able to achieve much.

According to the 2011 census, the percentage of elderly population has increased to 9.1 percent (male 4.6 percent and female 4.5 percent). The government should show some concern regarding the needs of the  elderly citizens. They should devise appropriate plans and policies to help them and should direct the concerned authorities to pay immediate attention towards helping them. Besides that, every one of us should do our part in taking care of one’s grandparents.  

All elderly people have the right to be loved and cared for. Remember, we may be the only people who can help our elderly parents enjoy the last few years of their lives. So, isn’t it our duty and responsibility to look after them? It is definitely something we all should think about.

Khatiwada is a pursuing a Masters in Rural Development in Tri-Chandra College