Rajendranagar masjid opens its doors to homeless, destitute people this winter

Hyderabad: With biting cold sweeping across the state, leaving many abandoned and homeless people in the lurch, a mosque in Rajendranagar in collaboration with the NGO Helping Hand Foundation has set up a 40-bed, first-of-its-kind home and shelter for the aged and the destitute.

The facility will have a round-the-clock doctor, nursing and bedside care, along with a physiotherapist, dietician, support staff, and round-the-clock ambulance services. It will take in 70 per cent of geriatric cases and 30 per cent other destitute and abandoned people.

For the first time, a clinical psychologist will help tackle the mental health issues of elderly patients. Many senior citizens are victims of loneliness and deprivation and the role of the psychologist will be to counsel and help them fight mental stress.

The facility will maintain high standards of hygiene and sanitation. It will be one of the few non-government centers to offer free services to senior citizens and homeless and destitute people regardless of their caste or faith. An in-house kitchen, under the supervision of a clinical nutritionist, will churn out healthy and hygienic food for the residents. There is also a space for recreation and leisure. Each room will have multiple TVs and refrigerators to stock up essential supplies, apart from washing machines for laundry and drying clothes.

A survey done by HHF found that many senior citizens were suffering from chronic diseases, particularly stroke-induced paralysis. For such patients, treatment along with stay will be free of cost. Many senior citizens are living alone without proper care and are in need of low-cost of free care due to their low earnings. Unfortunately, there aren't many free old age care facilities for such people.

During the launch of the facility, A.K Khan, advisor to the government on Minority affairs, said that with life expectancy increasing in India and families shrinking, old age care is assuming significance. It is good to see civil society organizations coming forward to address the needs of the senior citizens, he said.

Helping Hand Foundation founder Mujtaba Hasan Askari said the western world has high standards of geriatric care and they were inspired by the model. "We are making a modest attempt to provide services at par with the international standards," he added.