More than an old age home
The nights are more ruthless here. Piercing screams, constant attempts to hurt themselves and relentless bawling out of immense pain and trauma make their nights longer and heavier.
In a plain white shirt and black pants, Milton Samadder, founder and chairman of Child and Old Age Care, hurriedly enters his office. He has just received an urgent call to visit Jhenaidah by tonight to attend to a homeless man.
That homeless man will be brought to Child and Old Age Care, in South Paikpara, Mirpur, till someone claims him as their relative or till he dies.
Like Jhenaidah man, there are 67 other homeless persons, along with six children, who are living here as Milton's "parents and children". Some of them have even forgotten their names. Most of them are bed ridden, have lost their sanity, and speak gibberish or whatever comes to mind, all day.
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"All of them are from well-off families. They have been abandoned by their kinfolk consciously, for property and wealth. Hence, they could never recover from that shock and lost their mind," explained Milton.
Four hospital beds and two shelves are kept in a room. The room smells of illness - shelves are full of medicines, tissues and other emergency supplies. On each bed, an aged person is lying silently, half naked.
They do not talk to each other.
In the daylight, the only sound from that room is the television. But they do not pay any to the box as very few of them can understand what anyone is saying.
The nineteen people who take care of them 24/7 keep coming and checking in on them – whether they need something or not.
The nights are more ruthless here. Piercing screams, constant attempts to hurt themselves and relentless bawling out of immense pain and trauma make their nights longer and heavier.
Neither the treatment nor the care is enough. But Milton cannot manage anything better than this, he concedes.
None of them are taken to hospital, even if there is an emergency.
"I cannot bear everyone's medical cost alone. This place has a setup of hospital, with all the primary arrangements, to take care of them. Me and my wife Mithu Halder are trained nurses. We give them the best treatment we can," said Milton with a heavy heart.
Therefore, no precautions have been even taken for this pandemic. They have just restricted random visitors' entry here and maintain basic hygiene.
On usual days, visitors, celebrities and social personalities come to visit or celebrate special days here. The purpose of their visit is hardly to share their happiness with them, Milton feels. Rather, they come here to take selfies and be tagged on its official
Facebook page as it helps them improve their own social status, confides Milton.
To many renowned corporate organisations, it is a way to build their image. On different occasions, some of them have signed contracts with Child and Old Age Care to help. Nonetheless, Milton has not received a penny yet.
"Using my parents' photo, organisations have made a profit but we got nothing. Hence, I have stopped doing all these advertisements. They are my parents, not any props."
Neither Milton nor his wife wants to turn it into an NGO or any old home as there will be more hassle. They are afraid that this might spoil the aim of their organisation. Several NGOs have offered them help in exchange of better designation or power of attorney, which they are not willing to give.
It is not like that they do not seek help. People who want to help selflessly are always welcomed here, whether it is with money, food, utensils or anything.
Currently, he is taking care of this big family with the profit from his private nursing home service agency- Milton Home Care Private limited, Mirpur.
Nonetheless, profits are not a certainty every month. A food chart has been formalised but in most cases, they cannot follow it. Sometimes, they do not even know what is going to be cooked for the next meal.
In the beginning, his intention was to take care of one elderly person as he did not have any children back then. But now, it has become a place of sustenance for many others.
When any homeless person, orphan or a lost baby is found, government officials instantly contact here to give them shelter.
In this shelter house, they try to ensure everyone's fundamental rights as much as they can. No one has ever complained to them about anything.
Samina (not her real name), one of Milton's mother, appreciates her life here. She has been living here for past four years ever since her children have abandoned and sent her back to Bangladesh from America.
While living with other members, she also has forgotten many memories of her life and lost her mental stability. Yet, she is content here, spending most of her time lying in bed, watching television and doing nothing.
"Let bygones be bygones. I am not going back to my past anymore. I am happily living here with my eldest son Milton," said Samina.
And, Milton is not willing to call it an old home as they are part of his family. "Hopefully, I will be able to establish it as an organisation and live here with others when I become old too."
He lives close to it so that he can always keep in touch with them, whenever they need him.
