Gagan Bahadur Malla, 80, from Mugu, traveled for about three days and reached Surkhet on Wednesday. He only reached Surkhet to talk to senior citizens from other districts like him and government representatives. ‘Earlier, it took 15 days to reach Surkhet,’ he said, ‘but now, after the road was built, it took three days to reach Surkhet, that’s why I was able to come here.’

Malla traveled a long way to reach here to share his thoughts after participating in a two-day interaction program on mental health organized by the Ministry of Social Development. Malla expressed happiness after participating in the program, saying that it was his first time to participate in such a program. ‘Age has taken its toll,’ he said, ‘at a time like this, we have not been able to talk about the worries that are on our minds like this. If such programs had been held in our district, other friends like me would have learned a lot.’

The ministry has gathered senior citizen leaders from eight districts of Karnali, apart from Jumla and Dolpa, in Birendranagar, saying that children are living far away from home in old age and that the elderly at home are facing various mental problems.

When Laxmi Tamang, a psychologist from the Health Services Directorate, who was the trainer in the interaction, started the program by telling the participants to ‘talk about their feelings’, the senior citizens looked cheerful and excited. ‘Some of your children and grandchildren may be far away from home, while some may be busy with their mobile phones and computers even when they are at home,’ she said. ‘You must be feeling heavy because you cannot talk about your feelings with them. Today, we have gathered here to talk about what is lost in your mind.’

Tamang said that not being able to express many things in old age can lead to various mental problems. ‘We find it easy to ask for medicine and take it because we have a headache, stomach ache, or leg ache,’ she said, ‘but have you ever said that my heart aches or my mind hurts?’

Tamang led the participating senior citizens in various exercises, from lightening their minds to remembering the old days. While she was leading the exercises, some of the participating senior citizens said that they remembered their wives who had passed away, while others said that they remembered their children. Some even joked that they had reached the age of 20 and were reminded of their old loved ones. Bir Bahadur Bhandari, a senior citizen from Dailekh, expressed his happiness saying that he was able to express the feelings that had been buried in his heart for two days in a fun way. He emphasized that such programs should be held in every district every year. ‘We were called leaders, we learned a lot,’ he said, ‘We will tell many things to our other senior citizen friends, but it would be more effective if experts from here go to each district and talk to the elderly.’ In the

program, mental illness experts Dr. Sushil Samdarshi and Dr. Pooja BC Koirala informed about dementia and Alzheimer’s. They said that in old age, especially the problem of forgetting every activity gradually increases and creates a big problem in the family. According to psychiatrists, problems like senior citizens getting lost, falling, getting injured and conflicts arise in the family.

They suggested that when senior citizens have mental problems, family members should give time, engage the senior citizen in normal work, do physical exercise, and pay attention to nutritious food. They said that if mental problems arise, they should get in touch with doctors and psychologists like themselves.

At the program, Social Development Minister Ghanshyam Bhandari said that senior citizens, along with their guardians, are the jewel and living history of the province. He admitted that the government has planned many programs for the protection of senior citizens, but they have not been completed due to limited budget. Minister Bhandari also committed to conducting senior citizen-friendly programs in the coming days.

‘Even if I am no longer in office, I will do something personally,’ he said, ‘You are our identity, how much knowledge you have, we have a lot to learn, if you like to write a book, I will help you with printing and marketing.’

Secretary of the ministry Dholak Raj Dhakal, remembering that he also has elderly people at home, said that the ministry will also conduct programs for senior citizens in the coming days. He said that he will take suggestions from various bodies about the work to be done by the government for the easy living of the elderly. In the

program, Khagendra Prakash Gaire, the focal person for mental health at the Ministry of Social Development, gave a presentation on mental health problems and suicide prevention and said that mental problems are increasing in Karnali due to problems such as illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, etc. He informed that suicide has also increased as mental problems increase. Stating that mental problems are also increasing among senior citizens due to loneliness, he mentioned that such problems can be reduced if family members provide love and support. In the

program, Narayan Prasad Sharma, a senior citizen from Rukum West, said that one family member should be included in such programs in the coming days. ‘We are getting old, many of us cannot take care of ourselves,’ he said, ‘That is why our relatives living with us also need such an environment when they become old, we need to be taken care of in this way, and it is important to teach them how to love in this way if they have some health problems.’ In the

program, Balkrishna Shrestha, the central vice-president of the Federation of Senior Citizens, said that the government should implement different programs for senior citizens. "We have been saying this for eight years but nothing has been heard," he said. "This time, the program has finally taken place, especially the health of senior citizens should be checked from time to time." Shrestha said that the government should also pay attention to the construction and maintenance of old age homes and senior citizen day care centers in Karnali Province. The ministry said that the senior citizens who participated in the program were invited to provide information on mental health to senior citizens in day care centers in their districts.