While many have succumbed to loneliness and desperation during the quarantine, senior citizens who were taken into the state-owned Golden Action and Reception Center for the Elderly and other Special Cases (GRACES) said they are grateful that they found a home amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Orlando (not his real name), 73, told the Philippine News Agency that life is still so much better for him these days compared to when he used to live with relatives.
“’Yung mga kapatid ko, hindi naman nila ako kayang alagaan, may kanya-kanya na kaming mga buhay. Magkasama nga kami pero hindi kasi nila kayang bigyan ng budget ang pang-maintenance ko,” he said.
GRACES, formerly called Golden Acres, which is being operated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), provides residential care and professional attention to senior citizens who are “abandoned, neglected, unattached, and homeless.”
The DSWD has secured a budget for the residents’ medication, other basic necessities, and even for leisure activities.
Orlando said in his youth, he would play basketball with his friends and coworkers in Muntinlupa City.
He said before he was transferred to GRACES, he used to work as a cook of the family of the vice mayor in his hometown.
He said sometime in his childhood, he would remember not being able to eat what he called good food because they were expensive, but when the time came that he had money to spend, his doctor had cautioned him from eating those foods that are not good for the elderly.
“Nasa gitna ka lang talaga lagi. Dapat marunong bumalanse kasi ganoon naman talaga ang buhay di ba? Magsisipag ka pero magpakasaya ka rin,” he said.
Virginia Daniles, center head of GRACES, said there are two ways the elders arrive at the nursing home— either they are rescued or referred by their relatives or the concerned local government unit.
“Usually, we find them at the streets. They are homeless,” she said.
Aside from the fun activities they share, the residents in the facility also have their own council.
Ariel (not his real name), 92, the council head, said he was elected as the leader because of his “charm.”
“Para ’yun ma-organisa kami. Para mapag-usapan kung anong gagawin, magkukumustahan,” he said.
Ariel was rescued by the personnel from GRACES sometime in 2015. The old man said he, along with their colleagues at work from Bulacan, decided to go to Manila one weekend. They got drunk, and their younger workmates left them in the city.
Daniles said Ariel and his friends were staying in front of the Manila Central Post Office when they rescued them.
She said the center wants to conceal their identities because they are among those confidential cases.
Other residents, however, are classified as “lost” and the staff members are helping them locate and remember their families.
Recently, the staff of the News and Information Bureau (NIB) distributed gifts for the shelter and the residents for their yearly outreach program.
The donation included basic necessities and essentials in line with the health protocols of the government. It also came with adult diapers and medicines.
To date, the center houses 142 senior citizens, 61 are males while 81 are females.
Orlando, in his message to the donors, said he speaks for everyone in the nursing facility whenever he would extend his gratitude.
“Masaya kami na naalala ninyo kami, na naglalaan kayo ng oras at mga regalo para sa amin. Maraming salamat,” Orlando said.
GRACES is located along Misamis Extension Street, Bago Bantay, Quezon City beside SM North Edsa. For donations, they may be contacted through their landline number (02) 929-1187 and mobile number 0932-342-2654.
Image credits: PNA/Robert Alfiler