I have been living in St. Charles Home for Senior Citizens, Kamba Village, Kalyan, Maharashtra, for five years now. Not only have I aged since then, but I have had a ringside view of the ageing process in the inmates here. Eleven of them have passed away during this period, most of them going gently into the night. Death, as a result, has become less frightening for us all. We have shared the tears and the grief of those left behind, when their spouses passed away. We have also through sheer closeness and proximity been an emotional support to those who were faced with the death of their near and dear ones. We live like a family here, supporting and caring for each other.
Some of those who came walking upright, laughing and talking have slowly walked into a twilight existence of non-recognition, disability and loss of memory. Others keep their minds active by following cricket, the daily news and even venture political opinions.
Janina Gomes
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