NOIDA: The realities of Anand Niketan didn’t matter. Despite findings during a govt inspection about inmates being mistreated and kept in unsanitary conditions at the privately run old age home, it seems their families don’t want them back.On Saturday, the kin of most of Anand Niketan Vridh Seva Ashram’s 40 inmates who turned up after the trust running the home sought signed forms from them, readily gave consent. There was no anger about conditions at the home or angst about how health situations are addressed. Several of Anand Niketan’s residents are in their 70s and 80s. “Food comes on time and they seem OK,” was a common refrain.
Among those who signed was the family of a resident who has four daughters. The daughters claimed there was no place for their mother to live as all of them were married and had their own families and households to look after. “We are four sisters, and our mom stays at this old age home. She gets food on time. The home takes proper care,” one of the daughters who was at Anand Niketan on Saturday said.All OK here, say inmates’ kin day after home horror Also among visitors was a 25-year-old woman whose grandmother resides at the old-age home. She said, “I come to see her every month and she seems very comfortable here. The staff takes proper care. We could not keep her at home due to her health condition. Here, she is taken care of,” she said, without elaborating on what the condition is.One of the main findings of the inspection was that there was no trained medic on call at Anand Niketan. And most of the caretakers who manage the place are school passouts, with no qualification in elder care. Praveen Mathur, relative of another Anand Niketan resident, said, “We want the old age home to continue. Things are alright here. My uncle has been here for more than five years and there has been no problem so far.”By evening, 21 families had given their written consent, with which the trust wants to insulate itself from legal action and prevent residents from being shifted to other shelters. UP women’s commission member Meenakshi Bharala, who led the inspection on Thursday night, had said all inmates would be moved out. She also recommended sealing of Anand Niketan.Three of the inmates who needed medical attention were shifted to a govt shelter in Dankaur on Friday, among them a 69-year-old woman from Kerala. It was a video showing her sitting helplessly on a floor with her hands tied that had triggered the inspection.Amarveer Singh, a trustee of Anand Niketan, told TOI on Saturday, “When she came, she was termed ‘abnormal’ in the admission form. The woman’s hands were tied because she would throw utensils at caretakers. It was a measure taken to ensure her safety and that of the staff.” TOI learnt her family, which is based in Noida, had taken her from the Dankaur shelter on Saturday. Another inmate who was moved out after the inspection – an 80-year-old who had spoken to TOI on Friday, identifying himself as a doctor and claiming the staff keeps him locked inside a room – was brought back to Anand Niketan on Saturday morning by his niece.
