A Photo Essay on Remote Caring for Seniors – the Lifeline Across Distance & A Glimpse of Daily Realities
A few years ago, my siblings and I installed CCTV surveillance for our elderly parents in our flat. It would help us watch over Ma and Baba from different time zones and report emergencies to our sister in Kolkata.
Why CCTV Installation is Important for Remote Caregiving
Remote caregiving for old parents can be challenging, especially if they have physical or mental ailments. It becomes even more daunting if you are the only child. You are somewhat saved if one of your siblings lives near your parents to assist. However, 24-hour monitoring of seniors is nearly impossible with busy work schedules. So, despite my sister living nearby, we found it difficult to monitor our senior parents. The presumably trained caregivers from exorbitantly expensive home care agencies, would either not look after them with care or often fail to report falls and other emergencies. This prompted us to install a home surveillance system to monitor our parents’ health and safety. We visited our parents as often as possible, but the installation of CCTV cameras gave us additional support.
My Need to Document the Daily Realities of Ageing Parents
As I watched my elderly parents go through their daily routines, both in person and through the CCTV footage, I felt moments were slipping through my fingers. I realised it would not be long before we would lose them, and that the moments I spent with them were a luxury. I felt compelled to document their twilight years through photography. This photo essay is my tribute to them and aims to raise awareness among those grappling with remote caregiving. My parents had been most supportive of this series. I am publishing this now with my family’s permission. I took most of the photographs in March 2019. It is four years since Ma passed away, and almost 2 years since Baba left us. I could not make myself photograph Baba alone, after Ma’s demise as it was depressing to see him alone in the apartment. It has taken me years to come to terms with the stark images of their everyday lives of which I have not hidden any aspect. I would be grateful if you could view them subjectively. Please view them on bigger screens, if possible.
I tried to photograph them from the angle of CCTV cameras. Even perched up on stools, I wasn’t tall enough to get the correct height. Since I am also getting old, I did not try to climb the ladder for the shots, and it would have made my subjects more aware of me. Some of the images are from actual CCTV footage. However, not all the photos are from a high angle. I have organized the images in 6 slideshows displaying 6 moods, some of which are intensely poignant. I have tried to show their life from their youth till when the dressing table turned into a medicine shelf. I have highlighted their lives with visitors, caregivers, on smartphones, and when they were alone. And finally, when they are no more.
While shooting, what mattered to me most were the lonely moments. Empty moments that no CCTV could fill up.
Then and Now
Our home used to be full of visitors. As my parents grew older, the number of visitors and phone calls declined, and their activities lessened. We appointed physiotherapists and companions to keep them active physically and mentally. Life was interspersed with happiness and emptiness – that is what I wanted to capture with my lenses. Every time I see the images, my eyes swell up with tears. It has been a heart-rending task to get the series ready.
It has been difficult living without our parents and visiting our empty apartment filled with memories and photographs. I hope you feel a connection with this photo essay on the complexities in the lives of ageing parents and caregiving captured on my DSLR and surveillance cameras. I created this in the hope that more children like us can be aware of the use of technology to take care of aged parents.
When they were young
Happy with others
Alone and depressed
With caregivers
Remote caregiving – CCTV footage
What we are left with
Images: Sravasti