THERE is a striking similarity between old age and childhood. As children need to be brought up with care and affection, the elderly people also require love and care of the people around them. There are about 15 million people in our country who are above 60 years of age. Painfully they lack the love and care they deserve. Many of them are deprived of the care and attention of their near and dear ones including their own children.
Is not it an unforgivable offence to ignore people who worked so hard when they were young to bring up their children? We see many senior citizens abandoned by their own children and leading a lonely life in old-age homes. Dhaka city has many such homes for the elderly people. There are families where elderly people are not abandoned physically but thoughtlessly neglected and disrespected. We should not forget that each one of us shall reach old age sooner or later and unless we take care of the seniors, we may be subjected to similar treatment. The elderly people deserve to be treated with love and respect so that they can live the last days of their life peacefully. We should create a society which is respectful to its senior citizens.
Rumana Sharmeen
Dhaka University