A number of elderly mothers at the Taif Social Care Home say they have been abandoned by their ungrateful children who never visit or contact them. A 63-year-old mother said she cannot believe she was placed in the old age home by her children. “No mother can bear to see that her toil and patience in serving her children for years have been wasted. She cannot bear to see this care met with ingratitude by her children especially when she is growing older and really needs them. She is shocked by their harsh treatment in placing her in a social care home.” Umm Muhammad, who is 60 years old, said her sons had previously provided her with a residence and a housemaid, but now that she is in the home, she only sees them during the two Eid feasts and on other big occasions. She said they are too busy raising their children and working. “A day will come when they will feel how I'm feeling now,” she said. Without children Umm Saad, who has one son, said he only wants money from her. “I suffered raising him. When he got a job and married, he eventually stopped visiting me except when he needed money. The last time he came, I refused to give him any money so he threatened to place me in the social care home. So I gave him the money not because I feared being placed in the home, but because I was fearful about how society would view him.” Su'ad Muhammad, a resident at the home, recalled what happened to an elderly woman, who was her neighbor years ago. The old woman always said she never had any children when she had three sons living in the city. None of her relatives came to visit her. She died alone in her house. The neighbors only discovered her body after several days when they smelled a foul odor coming from her house. Son sets mother ablaze Umm Abdul Rahman cannot forget the story of an old woman whose son beat her up several years ago, wrapped her body in a blanket, drove her from one city to another and finally dumped her in a deserted house and set it on fire. She had refused to give him money to buy drugs. In another example, Asiya, an Indonesian housemaid, said she used to take care of her sponsor's mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The sponsor's two wives refused to take care of his mother, so he placed her in the housemaid's quarters. Whenever a relative came to visit his mother, he would move her to one of the sitting rooms because he did not want to be criticized for his behavior towards her. Aisha Al-Shihri, supervisor of the women's section at the Taif Social Care Home, said there are 32 old women in the facility who have been placed there by their relatives – a son, brother or uncle. She said they need both physical and psychological support to help them adapt to their new life. She said the home organizes various activities for them including religious trips, picnics and recreation. They are also trained in simple skills depending on their interests, Al-Shihri said. While the home provides this and other care, nothing can compensate for the warmth of being with their own families, she added.
