Dignitaries with senior citizens during 18th foundation day of Good Samaritan Senior Citizen’s Home at Meriema on August 1. (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 1
The Good Samaritan Senior Citizen’s Home today celebrated its 18th foundation day at Meriema with Tosheli Zhimomi, Director, Social Welfare Department, Nagaland as the special guest.
Speaking on the occasion, Zhimomi lauded Good Samaritan Women Society (GSWS) headed by founder chairperson Neithonuo Liegise for taking care of the senior citizens. She prayed a long and healthy life for all the elderly persons in the Home.
104 years Rev K Tsaikha and 89 years Dr HS Rotokha also graced the occasion. Along with Nagaland’s social welfare department former director Khevito T Shohe, they sang a song entitled “Where we’ll never grow old.”
The programme was chaired by GSWS general secretary Motsushumi Kikon while senior citizen Dr. P. Kilemsungla invoked God’s blessings. Vote of thanks was proposed by Wekupe.
Good Samaritan Senior Citizen’s Home
Kohima Old Age Home, presently called Good Samaritan Senior citizen's Home was established by Neithonuo Liegise on August 1, 2005, under the aegis of GSWS for destitute and needy elderly people to provide shelter, nutrition, health care, spiritual support and to help the residents to retire in dignity and peace.
Liegise said that the vision of GSWS is to provide support and quality health care and respect to the elders who doesn't have own children or relatives and family to take care of their old age.
The vision of the Home is to provide shelter, nutrition, health care to the needy and destitute older persons, to provide quality care, quality life, provide equal opportunities to the senior citizens, to keep healthy, active, encourage productive ageing and support them to retire in dignity and peace.
The objective of the Home is to provide secure homely environment for the residents, to provide physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs, to ensure proper nutrition and diet, to protect the legal rights of the elderly, to promote quality care by imparting training, knowledge and skills to care- givers of the elderly, to create a society for the elderly/age, to encourage active and productive ageing, to arrange recreational programme and activities to keep them fit and happy etc.
She said the criteria for admission of senior citizens into this Home is based on genuine case whose physical strength is gone and cannot earn for their livelihood and it has to be identified and recommended by the community.
All kinds of elderly citizens cannot be admitted to the senior citizens home.
Recreation Day Care Centre for Senior citizens in Kohima
Within the span of 18 years since its inception in 2005 to 2023, 101 senior citizens have been admitted into this Home.
The capacity of the Home is 25 bedded and presently 23 permanent residents are availing the facility.
Management of the Home is depending on the contribution of the Society and well wishers as there is no funding supported by the government since 2019, Liegise said.
‘However, the Society is committed to its calling and continuing its project actively by raising fund called Granny Sponsor. And any interested partners can contribute Rs 3000 per granny monthly for their basic needs,’ she said.
The GSWS has voluntarily opened two more Old Age Homes in Peren and Longleng District without getting grant-in-aid from neither from the state nor central government.
She said the future vision of the Society is to open Recreation Day Care Centre for Senior citizens in Kohima, where the aged people can come and spend time together and return to their families in the evening. In this, she made a plea to individual and government to extend help and bring this vision into reality one day.
Meanwhile, she thanked the senior citizens who stood by her and fight for the cause and availed the present land for the development of the project, and Good Samaritan Women Society and esteemed well wishers for contributing selflessly and generously through granny sponsors.
