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Old infants

The article ‘Coming full circle’ (KT, April 26) was a very reflective and self-searching piece. It brought out the helplessness and stark reality of old age.

The fact that all of us would reach that stage has been rightly stressed and the need for empathy towards the aged has been underlined aptly.

What surprises one at times is the same patience and endurance one has for their own infants seems to diminish when it comes to their parents when they reach their second childishness that will end their ‘strange eventful history’. The elders have been the roots without which no one could have reached their present status. Amid our busy life style and misplaced priorities, aged parents and elders are being ignored and neglected.

No wonder it has given rise to so many old age homes, where money can buy comfort but not love and care. Though tackling their infant behaviour and obstinacy associated with that could be a challenge, all the same a bit of understanding goes a long way in making their twilight years a happier one. They deserve our care and concern in the true sense of the word that is in our thoughts, words and actions.