This is a case study of a 67-year-old woman from Goa, 67, who is a retired teacher. After reading my write-up on Sakal on the 10th of October, I received this lady’s call at 11:30 pm at night. She was very sweet and excited on the other end. She started narrating her life story with a feeling of pride while she mentioned how responsibly she finished her duties throughout her life. Her mother is not keeping too well for many years now. She has 4 siblings, out of which 3 are brothers and one sister who is 64 years old presently ailing with Dementia.
Throughout the call, I was expecting her to enquire regarding the life challenges and suggestions or tools to handle them, but she very openly mentioned that all she was looking for is moral support and that she did not want to lose her mental health by watching her sister in pain all day long. She said, “I want to stay calm and I want to be there for her as she needs me the most at the moment. We have a family, but our brothers stay very far. I have to be with her 24/7. ”
I was amazed by her approach for so many years, serving her mother and now looking after her unwell sister, teaching free of cost to the needy students, and feeling happy and satisfied with her students who have always excelled in studies. I could only be thankful to her for sharing her story with us.
I thanked her and told her that she can always talk to us, and can also share her concerns with us whenever she feels the need to. She is already managing everything so well, we couldn’t be happier.
Towards the end of the call she says, ‘Some people give me the advice to keep my sister in an old-age home, but I will not do that ever. She needs me,
she needs my touch, and how will I live peacefully after keeping her in some institution? I will call you whenever I feel the need to talk to someone
Shilpa, because I want to stay in the best of my Mental Health, because if I fall sick, who will look after me?
