Aging in Community Project in Sri Lanka

As a part of this project, we are planning to do some renovations/ historic preservation work on a donated property in a rural area of Sri Lanka . This property belongs to the family of the landowner for generations, and he decided to keep the name and legacy of his family by using this land to offer social services to the people in the community. The house is located in a small village in the central part of Sri Lanka, so all of our team members spent 4 days at the site after driving 6 hours from Colombo . We measured the house, visited local elders’ houses in the neighborhood, and interviewed the elders during our stay.

When we were working in that house, many elders and children came in to greet us. Among the visitors, a 79 years old, former chief of the village gave us such an intriguing comments. When I asked him whether or not he thought young people in the village would be willing to help elders in need, he looked at me with strange look. Then, asked me to repeat the question, so I did.

The old man looked at me again, and said:

“I don’t understand what you are trying to ask me. Is it a question? Yes, young people will come and help.”

I was a bit embarrassed to realize that I was foolishly trying to understand the elder care situation of this village through the lenses my past experiences. The old man also said that it was a great idea to have an aged care in the vicinity, so that he can visit elders and help them. Other villagers also said that they would welcome aged care facility in the community so that they have opportunities to help elders.

Their comments made me realize how self-centered I have become…I have never thought that elder care facilities could be perceived as a place that provide opportunities for others to give. While the villagers are relatively poor, they definitely know the real meaning of “happiness” in life.