Combining Old Age Homes with Orphanages

By Emma Andrew

There is a large demographic of the population who remains forgotten in many countries. Due to negligence and self-interest, oftentimes our grandfathers and grandmothers are cast off into old people homes to be taken care of by some foreign entity. One may take the moral high road and question how this can happen, and claim they would never do this to their elderly relatives. However, as it may, life often gets in the way of things. Perhaps we become too wrapped up in our careers and simply do not have the time to care for our aging parents, or maybe our children are exhausting our time and resources. For numerous reasons, many elderly people are abandoned and left to decay in nursing homes. It is extremely sad, and widely ignored in today’s world. I believe many of us do not draw the connection between the idea that our grandparents are really just ourselves in the future. One day, we will end up in that same predicament if we are not lucky enough to have a caring family or did not become extremely wealthy in our lifetime. If we do not enact a change now, we are not helping anyone, not even ourselves. And if we are really as self-serving as we believe to be, this is most definitely not in our best interest to

continuously neglect the aged segment of the population.

Another group of the population is largely neglected, and this would be orphans. Although this age group garners more widespread sympathy at just the mention of the name, still many orphans are left in homes and can not find a family who will adopt them. Children are left to grow up neglected, without a support group to love and help them. However, what if there was a way to conjoin these two groups into a symbiotic relationship? A way to mutually benefit both in a way that could be sustainable for generations to come?

The idea of combining nurseries and old age homes has already been adopted in several

places. It brings the idea of the “circle of life” to the forefront, reminding the young of a respect towards their elders, and reminding their elders of simplicity and playfulness. Additionally, it can help combat the insidious nature of loneliness that often accompanies those who are placed in old age homes. Children are open-eyed and curious, bringing a light to the world that we often lose as we get old and as the world dampens our spirits. Additionally, bridging a strong connection between the young and the old will strengthen the generations to come. There is much to learn from those who have preceded us, as life teaches us lessons upon lessons as we live it.

Fostering understanding and compassion amongst ages, races, genders is a huge facet of

sustainable development, and ultimately this will lead to a more peaceful and progressive world. Brainstorming ways of combining efforts to achieve peace and utilizing our creativity has slingshotted our progress in developing the world forward, however, we still have a long way to go. Through concepts such as the combination of old age homes and nurseries, issues that had previously been brushed to the side are now brought to the forefront and met with a solution. Generational disconnect, eldery abandonment, and orphaned children are tacked head on with an innovation so simple, yet previously unheard of. Perhaps numerous more simple solutions are out there if we take the time to connect the dots and think a little outside of the box. As many of our modern day problems are perpetuated by linear thinking, changing the thought process into a nonlinear and more abstract one will bring about the change we are seeking.

Here at the Sachh Foundation we see the value in collaboration. Our mission is to bring

together the brilliant young minds on the planet right now to harness the sort of thinking that will change the way we live for the better. We look forward to the growth we will accomplish with you, our dear readers, and the dreams we will reach for a better world.