Puri's Hope Is Life Old Age Home Extends Love And Dignity To Hapless Senior Citizens

Puri: Urmila Tripathi, a senior citizen left home after being abused by her daughter-in-law. She wanted a place where she could live peacefully and stumbled upon an old age home, which is now her safe haven.

Like Urmi, many senior citizens who have been abandoned by their families or have nobody to care for them have found a place where they can live with dignity and comfort, thanks to a group of 18 friends who had come together to set up an old age home for hapless people like them.

Hope Is Life Old Age Home in Puri (ETV Bharat)

Hope Is Life Old Age Home in Belgaum of Odisha's Puri district takes care of their accommodation, meals and medical treatment. The home is run entirely free of cost without any government assistance.

Urmila Tripathi said, "At home, I have a son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. But I left home and came here because my daughter-in-law abused me. Now, I don't want to return home anymore. We not only receive food and accommodation facilities here but get a lot of love and care. The staff who work here are like my own sons. They have never said anything that has hurt me."

Residents enjoying meal together (ETV Bharat)

Another resident, Nakula Maharana said, "I have no family and was suffering from paralysis. Hope is Life has provided me with all the treatment and now I am fully cured."

It was on May 18, 2017, that a group of 18 friends from 1993 batch of Puri Zilla School took a decision to immerse themselves in some kind of social service. They set up an organisation named Hope Is Life. Initially, they were engaged themselves in planting trees for environmental protection, cleaning and distributing free food during Rath Yatra.

Residents watching TV at the old age home (ETV Bharat)

Their efforts gained a huge popularity and on January 9, 2020, they started Hope Is Life Old Age Home from a rented house in Puri's Sarvoday Nagar. Since then, they have been offering support and assistance to the helpless elderly people. What started as a dedicated team of 18 individuals, saw many like-minded people joining them and they now are 435 members.

The Hope is Life Old Age Home presently has 32 senior citizens and it aims to increase their strength to 60.

Residents of the old age home (ETV Bharat)

Impressed by the initiative, a philanthropist donated a plot to the old age home and with donations from some members, a residential building was built in Puri's Beldal for Hope is Life Old Age Home.

The old age home has eight staff members to look after the 32 residents. There are two managers, two cooks and four caretakers along with a doctor and compounder.

Residents consider the staff as their sons (ETV Bharat)

Suresh Kumar Nanda, president of Hope Is Life, said, "We organised a reunion for the students of the 1993 batch of Puri Zilla School on May 14, 2017. Some of us decided to do social service. Later, seeing the helplessness of many elderly people, we decided to set up an old age home. With the blessings of Mahaprabhu and the cooperation of the workers of our organisation, we first started Hope Is Life Old Age Home from a rented house in Sarvoday Nagar, Puri. Gradually, many people joined us and we were able to shift to our own building in Beldal. Our main aim is to make residents of the old age home happy as long as they can".

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