Elderly Day Care Centre, Ratmalana:

Bringing happiness in the evening of their lives

By Ranil Wijayapala

Leelawathie, an elderly mother sits on the cement floor comfortably leaning against the wall as she goes through a newspaper. Many of her colleagues, may be of her age or younger but surely over 60 years, are silently engaged in their work. Some are sewing pillow cases while others making paper bags giving an aura of activity to the environment. To all of them the home located in the calm and serene environment within a few minutes drive from Galle Road along the Borupana Road, Ratmalana, has become a place to spend their day time happily as their children and grandchildren are away from their homes.

Leelawathie, hailing from a family in Ratmalana area, used to come there for more than 22 years from the date the centre was started to spend her day time along with other elderly women in the village despite having her children home even during the day time. “Mokatei mahattaya puhu manne, Mama meka patangatta davase indan methanata enava” (Why should I be ashamed of myself, I come here from the day this place was started) is the way Leelawathie, justified her daily visit. She is candid in her comments and commended the people who had started the place. “We are grateful to the people who have established this place for the elderly people like us. What we should do is to invoke blessings for those who sponsor our meals and go back home in the afternoon after spending our time peacefully here,” Leelawathie says.

The others sitting around her encourage me to ask her age and laughs at her when she said she was only 85 years old. “Hemadama ithin vayasa 85 ne” (Your age is always 85) an elderly male smiled at Leelawathie. But she is defiant and shot back at him saying she is only 40 years and not married yet throwing all of us into laughter. She says she was born in November 1924 and still can read the newspaper without spectacles as the others laugh at her breaking the silence of the place.

The day time is spent like that for all of them at the H.P. Gooneratne HelpAge Elderly Day Centre started in 1988 by the founder Chairman of HelpAge Sri Lanka and the first Sri Lankan member of the HelpAge International.

H. P. Gooneratne

Anula Galappatti

The concept of running this elders day centre is to provide them a better environment for the elderly people who spend their day time at their home alone and not looked after for 365 days making it yet another elderly home in the country. Therefore, for more than 30 elderly people, it has become a gathering point to spend their day time leisurely mingling with others without being left alone in their homes. “The things they have to do here is very little but not compulsory. They can help to keep the place clean and tidy and have their breakfast, lunch and evening tea and go back home in the evening”, said Anula Galappatti, the warden of the Elderly Day Centre who joined the place as the warden in 1992, three years after the centre was established. “The basic qualification for anyone to come here is that they should be elderly people over 60 years of age and no other qualification is required. What we want is to gather people under the same age category and allow them to move freely and enjoy their freedom, talking to each other and live in the society as dignified people”, she says. She said around 30 elderly people around the area visit the place from Monday to Saturday. “On Sundays we are closed and we are doing it purposely to feel them that they are members of their family despite their visits to this place”, she says.

The Day Centre for Elderly provides the breakfast or morning tea, lunch and the afternoon tea with a snack for the elderly people gathered there and during the few hours they spend there they have the liberty to engage in any activity whether it is playing cards, carrom or listen to music. Five elderly males come there to play cards or carrom while groups of the females assist the chef to cook their meals. Apart from that, some elderly people used to make paper.

“We always try to engage them in activities. We also keep this place clean and tidy with the help of the elderly people coming here. They voluntarily participate in these activities. We don’t have staff here. Those who can work can help us in these activities”, she says.

But it is not only the elderly people visiting the centre on a daily basis that they look after. “We are also looking after the needs of the people living in a housing scheme for the blind people near Moratuwa university. We are providing a day meal for the elderly people living there on the request of the doctor-in-charge of that scheme and we used to deliver their meals at their home”, she added.

In addition the Elders Day Centre is also supporting the elderly people who used to visit the place from the beginning and now unable to come there due their physical inability. “We deliver their lunch to their homes through our delivery bike”, she added.

“We have many sponsors for breakfast and lunch. Many of the sponsors provide us money or food items and the chef with the assistance of the other elderly people cook their breakfast and lunch”, Galappatti added.

According to the warden, many of the elders arrive there in the morning and visit the Buddhist temple in front and engage in religious activities. “We don’t have beds here because the concept of having this centre is to keep these elderly people active during the day time”, she added.

Making paper bags during their leisure time

Gunasekare reaching the day centre in his wheel-chair

The males and the females have two separate rooms and if they feel sleepy they can put the mats on the floor and have a rest. In addition they also can wash their clothes as they have been provided with bathrooms at the centre.

The elderly people visiting daily to the centre have also been given separate lockers to keep this belongings. “The main objective of running this place is to provide better mental satisfaction for the elderly people in their old age and keep them mentally fit. This centre helps them in this regard”, she added.

Not only a place to heal their minds, the centre has also become a place for some of the elderly people to recover from their physical disabilities also. W. R. Gunathilaka who became paralysed almost 12 years back recovered to a certain extent from his paralysis after he started visiting this place.

After he got paralysed and recovered to a certain extent he began visiting the place. “I thought of coming here to experience a difference in life. When I inquired whether I could attend they said I can come if I can attend to my work. At the beginning I used to come here with the help of a walking stick. Sometimes it took more than two and a half hours for me to walk from my home to here. One nurse working at the general hospital after seeing me gave me a wheel-chair used by one of her aunts. I got it repaired and made use of it. Another person supported me to make adjustments to that wheel chair for me to handle it by myself”, he added.

But after some time he received a wheel-chair to arrive at the centre as a donation after he made a request from HelpAge.

The elderly centre is also arranging annual trips for the elders from the donations from the elders and also arrange functions like Vesak Bhakthi Gee, New Year festivals.

The HelpAge is also providing them free medical care and also doctors visiting the place on a weekly or monthly basis are conducting medical check ups on the elderly people.

Like 85-year-old Leelawathie who used to visit there for more than 22 years, Povithina, Somawathie, Rosalin and many other elderly people visiting there from the beginning lead a better life with their families as they get better mental satisfaction after mingling with the people of their own age.

Their lives go smoothly as they don’t feel any burden on their lives as their needs are looked after by the centre, with the help from the HelpAge Sri Lanka and also from the people who had sponsored their meals on a daily basis. The day centre has struck a balance in their life enabling them to live with their children without becoming a burden to them.

Therefore, H.P. Gooneratne HelpAge Elders day Care Centre gives a clear cut message to the society about the way the authorities should look into the problems from a different perspective at a time the elderly population in the country is on the increase.