: ‘All We Wish for is Company’: 89-YO Opens Her Ancestral Home to Care For Elderly Women #IndiaNEWS #Senior Citizens It was after her husband’s death in 2004 that Karusseril N Thankamma, a resident

‘All We Wish for is Company’: 89-YO Opens Her Ancestral Home to Care For Elderly Women #IndiaNEWS #Senior Citizens
It was after her husband’s death in 2004 that Karusseril N Thankamma, a resident of Kottayam, first thought of putting together an initiative for elderly women like herself.

“We spend our days alone. All we wish for at this age is company, which most times is unavailable as our children and grandchildren are busy working or studying,�? the 89-year-old tells The Better India.

The former teacher of NSS Upper Primary School, Thampalakkad, is well aware that this is an unavoidable situation and that family members can’t be around all the time. In order to efface loneliness from the lives of elderly women around her, as well as to make their days productive, this retired Hindi teacher decided to modify her 200-year-old ancestral home into a daycare.

She says the idea was to provide companionship, engage elders in interesting activities to maintain their health and give employment to young women in the locality.

The thought was supported by Thankamma’s children Sreekumar, Satheesh Kumar and Geetha. They contributed to the renovation of the home and helped their mother spread the word about the initiative.

“Amma doesn’t need an introduction in our locality,�? Sreekumar, who is the chief commercial officer in a New-York based firm, says. “Because she was a teacher, she is connected to more people than us. She is someone who likes to give all her earnings and learnings to other women for their empowerment. She is one of the most energetic people I know. Even at this age, she moves around and comes up with new ideas to expand the daycare. �?

Thankamma teacher with the inmates and staff of Manavodaya Pakalveedu.

The home, now called Manavodaya Pakalveedu, was officially registered as a charitable society and began operations on 11 October 2017. “It was on amma’s 84th birthday that the daycare started functioning. From then on, every year, her birthday is celebrated here with us and the 30 inmates, who are all above the age of 60,�? adds Sreekumar.

As Thankamma is aged and all of her children are away with jobs, a set of five employees are working permanently in the daycare to ensure the wellness of inmates and carry out day-to-day activities.

The staff here makes candle lights, incense sticks, paper bags, detergents and cleaning lotion. The products made are sold via a shop near the daycare and the income is fully used to keep the place running, says Thankamma. While the staff does most of the work, the inmates help in packaging the products.

The shop adjacent to the daycare.

“The home also offers a free course on stitching to anyone who can join.