In our society, there is a deep-rooted cultural norm that prevents elderly parents from living with their married daughters, even when they desperately need care and support. This thinking has, over time, led to increased social abuse and neglect of the elderly.
Consider this story: An elderly mother with severe leg pain, unable to walk without assistance, was left alone at home while her son went out with his wife. Despite months of suffering, her pleas to see a doctor were dismissed with a packet of painkillers. When her daughter called and offered to bring her home, the mother refused — bound by social norms that say a parent cannot live at their daughter's home or use their daughter's money.
This is the truth of our society. Parents who have equally educated and loved their daughters and sons suddenly treat their daughters as “Prayadhan” — belonging to another family — after marriage. In such situations, when elderly parents have no son or have sons who neglect them, they are left with nowhere to go.
What can we do differently?
Only when we change these deep-rooted attitudes can we truly reduce elderly social abuse and create a society where every senior citizen lives with dignity and care — whether in their child's home or at a compassionate place like SHEOWS.
