Making the lonely years comfortable!

As Anna and I watched this lady senior citizen walk pass us, while we  were airing for Aswathy and Anandit to return from an office they had gone to visit in a village, we wondered what her body language was conveying!

Her facial expression, posture and measured steps made us feel that she might be heavy of heart. It is  a village where most men return home drunk and pick up quarrel with women at home. I wonder whether she was on a shopping walk with all the pressure on her to buy just the essential for the evening supper with the little money she was given by her husband the previous evening! 

The story of women as they grow older is most distressing. Many women end up having osteoporosis, back ache, malnutrition, hypertension, etc which do not even get diagnosed or treated. Women bear all of these for the sake of the rest of the family. I found out that least amount of money is spent on the health of women when they get older. The rest of the family provide food and shelter and do not think of the quality of life they too  deserve!

I realised that my mother was keen to read the news paper, meet people and engage in social conversations with our domestic helpers even on the day she was not so well and needed hospitalisation! I was encouraged by her desire to live well and fully at 91 years, even when she had many physical limitations!

Of all the people, women as they grow older, need more attention to let them have added years of quality life! It was Anna, who made the choice that led us to return to live with my mother for the last twenty months to provide some support for her. We are glad that we were enabled to do it!  

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)