Old age homes are fast becoming the last resort of the elderly.Shunned or abandoned by their families, many senior citizens face the prospect of a lonely death at homes for the aged, with staff having to attend to funeral proceedings. Often, the elderly are reluctant to visit their families, in homes they built for their children.
Notwithstanding the conditions in old-age homes, occupants often decry the fact that they are either ‘dumped’ there or compelled to stay there. This is the case often with senior citizens who do not fit in the modern lifestyle of the children or whose children find them to be a financial burden.
Recently a press meet of the film Thikana Briddhasram directed by Subir Paul Choudhury was held. The star-cast consists of Monoj Mitra, Biswajit Chakraborti, Soma Chakraborti Debika Mitra, late Ramen Roy Chowdhury ,Himadri Das Sahana Roy Chowdhury Sunil Kumar Ghosh and Riddhi .
This film reflects the feelings of people living in old age homes, most of whom are tricked into going there. Some children feel that their elderly parents are a financial burden; some abandon them when they are ill; but most are just too busy to care for them.
“Parents and children have the purest relationship. It is the duty of children to look after their parents when they are old and cannot care for themselves. Unfortunately, recent trends show that people would rather leave their parents in old age homes, an act which has devastating effects on the emotions of the abandoned parents.” said Subir Paul Choudhury.
