More elderly in TN find themselves home alone

CHENNAI: Valli, a pensioner, is among 6.88 lakh senior citizens (above 60 years) who are home alone in the state. The 70-year-old woman is dependent on the government's old age pension as both her sons, who are construction workers, move from place to place seeking jobs.
Her meagre monthly pension of Rs 1,000 is hardly sufficient to make ends meet.She is forced to work as a domestic help for some extra cash. “I have lived on my own for the past 15 years after my husband died in an accident. Though my sons are married and have children, they work in nearby states and come once a month and it is not possible for me to go with them," says Valli.
The 2011 Census shows Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of home alone senior citizens. Many of them have difficulty earning a living and are dependent on old age pension. But, they need to periodically sign at the taluk office to prove they are eligible for pension, which is bothersome. “The postmen used to demand bribes to deliver the pension every month. Now, we have opened a bank account. But, we are yet to get our Aadhaar numbers though our fingerprints and other details were taken last year," says Valli.
There are many such pensioners in poor and middle class families, who live alone though their children may be living in the same city. A majority of 'single senior households' are in TN's rural areas. There are 4.45 lakh households in villages in which a man or woman above 60 lives alone. For most of them a son or daughter has migrated to urban areas for jobs.
“Many youth from agrarian families migrate in search of jobs, leaving behind their aged parent. They have completed at least Class 12 or graduation and find jobs in cities. This is also the reason for shortage of agricultural labourers in the state,“ says sociologist G K Karanth.
There is another set of senior citizens who prefer to live alone as they are financially independent or move away due to differences of opinion with their sons and daughters-in-law.
“I prefer to live alone rather than compel my daughter-in-law to adjust to my lifestyle,“ says 92-year-old retired banker M Sambamoorthy. “I wake up at 6 and do the early morning chores and visit the nearby temple before preparing my lunch. I have my television and books as my companion".
Soon after his son's marriage, Sambamoorthy moved out and decided to stay in a single-bedroom apartment, leaving the bigger flat in a nearby area to his son. “This way I avoid unnecessary friction between my son and daughter-in-law and myself," said Sambamoorthy . “With my pension and interest on deposits, I am able to manage my monthly expenses, including medicine.“ His daughterin-law M Preethi says they visit him once in three days and have dinner with him on weekends. “I do wear modern clothes and we go out during weekdays for dinners or movies. This may not be possible if my father-in-law lived with us as he is very orthodox," admits Preethi.