While the national capital is under lockdown to contain the spread of deadly COVID-19, the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) in South Delhi's Navjiwan Vihar has geared up to take care of the senior citizens, who are living alone, by providing basic essentials to them.
"We are getting services like newspapers, vegetables and other essentials at the doorstep. Shops are also open without any hassle. Grocery shops are also open inside the locality. Medicine needs are told to the secretary and she gives us allopathic as well as homoeopathic medicines," Krishan Lal Bhatia told here.
The 82-year-old further said: "Minimum people enter the gate is a priority here. Volunteer services are a boon for lonely senior citizens like us as they call us daily. We even don't feel that we are not living with our children."
His wife Swaran Bhatia, who is 76 years old, also endorsed the facility provided by the society. "Volunteers call us daily and we are satisfied with the overall services." 83-year-old Swadesh Seth claimed that the services provided by the RWA are like a mother would get and remarked that she doesn't feel neglected despite living alone in the house.
"People are taking care of senior citizens, I am staying alone but I am getting daily calls from the volunteers for my needs and they help me. I don't think I am being neglected," she said.
Retired Air Force officer 76-year-old wing Commander Pawan Kumar hails the facilities like security, cleanliness, availability of groceries as the USP and said that volunteer services are beneficial for seniors citizens like him.
RWA has 270 households and around 1,100 residents in which 20 per cent would be senior citizens and 26 are those elderly who live alone.
Talking about the about system in the society, secretary of RWA Dr Ruby Makhija said: "After the lockdown, we know senior citizens are vulnerable. So, physical contact was cut down and the supervisor started giving call about requirements to them."
"Regarding cleanliness, we have advised not to pose any risk to senior citizen and all precautions need to be taken care of. Daily contact with volunteers is reassurance that they have people to fall back upon."
Speaking about the volunteers who are pivot in the whole system, Amita Kaushal said: "My role is to call up senior citizens who are living alone and find out how they are doing."
"If they have any requirement, that is provided. It is a blessing in disguise. It is a harsh time for all of us. The senior citizens are really facing the brunt of it but we have discovered that people are there for each other. Humty is there in multiple counts," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )