Ramadan is a time when people unite in the mosques and at homes, and so is an especially tough time for those who have been forgotten or abandoned, as many elderly people feel has happened to them after being placed in care homes. Some may say they are the victims of the erosion of values and Islamic traditions, as they have been left by their children to what one person describes as “a fate worse than death”. “I came to Jeddah after my sons and grandchildren threw me out into the street, and I've been living in this shelter home now for the last 13 years,” says 80-year-old Ayed. “I was found living homeless by a kind person who decided to pay all the expenses so that I could live here, and at least have a roof over my head.” “Believe it or not I haven't heard from my children since I've been here, and I don't think any of them have even tried to find out where I am.” Jamal, also in his eighties, describes his lonely life in the care home. “My family abandoned me to live out my last days in this dull room,” he says. “I listen to the birds in the morning, and that's the only thing that keeps me from screaming out in sorrow.” “I've spent all these years dreaming of my children who I love so much, but who left me out of disobedience and selfishness.” Fatima Hassan is an elderly lady who has been living in the home for more than 13 years. “I would just love to see my only daughter again, but she abandoned me after getting married, and I have no idea why.” Perhaps the most heartrending tale is that of 61-year-old Umm Hani. “I have lived here for 20 years,” Umm Hani says. “I have no children to take care of me, and have nothing to do but think all day of how I ended up like this.” “Life is pretty miserable here, as there's a shortage of lots of things, particularly medical attention. Doctors from public hospitals only pay very infrequent visits and lots of people here suffer from illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure and need regular supplies of medicine. So they have to buy the medicine themselves. Where they get the money from is a whole other story.” Messad Al-Aoufi is in his late seventies and says that the month of Ramadan gives him something of a lift. “It's nice to hear the busy streets outside, the voices of people passing by and children playing in the neighborhood,” Messad says. “It fills you with life again.” Messad says that in Holy Ramadan lots of charitable people go round homes for the elderly handing out donations. “I count the days until they come,” he says. “They inject a bit of life into our dead souls and make us feel that there are still some good people in this world.”
