As a part of our community service, seven of the o2h community team went to “Jeevan Dhara” – an Old People’s home based in Ahmedabad last Saturday.  The old people’s home does not take a fee but expects the residents to contribute to the running of the home.

The day was highly enjoyable and fulfilling for both the o2h community volunteers and the elderly; “happy and delighted” was the most commonly used phrase in the day!

The o2h community team reached “Jeevan Dhara Old Age Home” at around 10:30am. The visit started with visiting the Ashram with the staff. After the orientation and induction, the team visited to the eye care hospital, rooms donated by people, a religious library, etc.

The team then spent time with the elderly chatting and gossiping, many remembered the o2h community team from the earlier visits and were happy to see the familiar faces. Learning about the life stories, of children and grandchildren was very enjoyable. There were also many valuable life lessons that the team appreciated. The elderly residents really enjoyed taking pictures with the team members, which seemed to be a favorite hobby for many of them. o2h community volunteers served food in the canteen at lunchtime before it was time to wave goodbye with a future visit date agreed.

Experience of Volunteers…

“It was a nice experience. The facilities provided were very good. A much-needed service, one lady was awaiting admission as she was sent out of her home by her children and was & pleading for shelter.”

“It was an awesome experience. When we met them they were feeling very happy & ultimately due to which we also felt good & happy. The activities which the Oldage home is conducting & the way they are managing is really appreciable. A great feeling came from my heart when we served them food, they were excited to as such what was in lunch. I served them fulvadi which some were happy to have & some were confused about whether to eat or not because of the problem with their teeth. There are lots of feelings but those can only be felt & not expressed in words.”

“It was indeed a very nice experience to visit old age home. It feels very bad that at the age of 60, they have to live without their children when they need them the most. We should not forget that in our childhood they sacrificed a lot to see their child in a good position in the future. We shared some quality time with these old age people and they have shared their personal experiences which can be beneficial to our life.”

“It was really a good experience of my life. I was very emotional that time when we met the lady over there & she shared her feelings with us. It is very true that our generation needs to change things. It was the best moment in my life. We will also start to campaign with friends to meet this type of people and listen to their voice and feelings.”

“I had a great time there, sitting with them hearing their life stories with amazing experience. They all welcomed us with love. I learned many things. Thank you o2h community for organizing such community services. It was a heart-touching experience…!”

“It was a nice experience. We talked with them & realized they were missing their home, their children, and grandchildren badly.”