HOME is where you find peace, love and care, and that’s exactly what K. Shanmuganathan and his wife, S. Iswari, have been championing for the past 18 years.
Both friendly and loving individuals, they own and operate the Golden Home Care nursing home located in George Town.
Shanmuganatan, 61, said that it was a blessing for him and his wife, 57, to have ventured into this field for close to two decades now.
“I was completely new to this area when I first started it in 2004.
“It struck me and my wife when we visited India before setting up the nursing home after we were encouraged by some influential people to venture into this field.
“Before this, I was working as an assistant production manager at one of the multinational companies in Bayan Lepas.
“Having worked there for more than 20 years, the India trip had given me a new feeling that it was time to set up my own business, and there could not have been a better platform than this.
“My wife and I have both lost our parents, and we were obedient to our parents.
“I believe that was also one of the reasons why we decided to start this platform because, at the end of the day, we wanted to continue to shower love and care for the elderly.
“It is a special joy when you are given the privilege and platform to share love and care, especially for the elderly as that’s what they seek as they age.
“We are truly blessed for this opportunity given by God and for as long as we are active and can continue with our cause, we will do our best for all of them here,” Shanmuganathan told Buletin Mutiara during an exclusive interview at the Golden Home Care nursing home at Jalan Vermont in George Town today.
It is learnt that there are a total of 20 full-time residents, as well as six staff working there now.
The home currently has two oldest residents, a 92-year-old woman and a 90-year-old man.
Shanmuganathan also said that the residents undergo an organised routine daily to ensure they are well-equipped and active while staying there.
“They all wake up as early as 6am, and will then have their shower, and breakfast and will be given some leisure time before they are required to perform some basic exercises at the home’s compound.
“This is to keep them active and to prevent a sedentary lifestyle,” he added.
Before moving to the current space, Shanmuganathan was renting a bungalow unit at Jalan Scotland.
“Years later, the owner decided to sell the unit, and as I was not able to purchase it, we decided to locate this new location.
“This is a strategic location as we are located just minutes away from the Penang Hospital, which is an important convenience to have considering the home is full of elderly people.
“The hospital has always been prompt with their responses as soon as they receive calls from us in the event of emergencies.
“We are very thankful for that too,” Shanmuganathan added.
As for medical check-ups, he said the immediate family members would usually bring their parents to the hospital.
When asked if Shanmuganathan has encountered any memorable occasions at the home, he said there was one which involved a 58-year-old man who went missing within minutes after arriving at the home.
“This incident happened about eight months ago when this man was sent by his family members without them telling us that he is known for going missing in the past.
“He was just within our sight, and in the next five minutes, he went missing.
“We spent about three hours trying to locate him, and finally after all the searching, we spotted him at a shop within the vicinity of the home.
“The man said he was hungry and wanted to get something to eat.
“This was our first and hopefully the last unpleasant incident to happen here,” Shanmuganathan said.
It is learnt that a total of RM25,000 is spent monthly to cover expenses such as rental, food and other needs.
The home celebrates at least 10 activities in a calendar year.
As for Iswari, the owner of Caring Retirement Home, which is located at Jalan Batu Gantung in George Town, said that when she started this platform in 2015, the process was rather smooth as she had picked up a lot of skills from the time her husband established Golden Home Care in 2004.
“I was influenced by my husband, especially his mission and passion for caring for elderly people.
“I applied the same concept from our first home, and by God’s grace, we are doing good,” Iswari said.
Shanmuganathan and Iswari are considered pioneers in this field because they have been around for almost two decades now.
During the interview, Shanmuganathan also said that he and his wife are often contacted by new nursing home operators to share their knowledge and experience in this area.
“We are always open to sharing our experiences with everyone,” Iswari said.
Lastly, when asked about key traits that must be tagged along in this venture, both the husband and wife said patience and time for the elderly remain the two most important values.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat