Published on: June 30, 2026

In a quiet suburb of Mumbai, on Wednesday, 1st April 2026, while people exchanged the usual April Fool’s jokes, the life of P. Gopal took a devastating turn. He suffered a paralytic stroke affecting the left side of his body.

Unaware of the gravity of his condition, and with the world around him oblivious, this 75-year-old man, living alone in a small room, spent an entire day without any medical aid. Fortunately, an acquaintance happened to visit him, sensed something was wrong, and called me.

I admitted him to K J Somaiya Hospital, Sion, Mumbai, on Thursday, 2nd April. The doctors acted swiftly, and Gopal responded well to the treatment and physiotherapy.

However, with no relatives or caretaker in Mumbai, one thought kept troubling me: What next? Where would he go after discharge?

After about 7-8 days, the doctors at Somaiya gave me a heads-up that Gopal was recovering well and could be ready for discharge within the next few days. They strongly advised neuro-physio rehabilitation for at least 4-6 weeks, as it would significantly improve his chances of recovery.

What followed were frantic phone calls and endless Google searches.

The options before us were:

* Sending him to an old age home

* Admitting him to a private rehab facility

Neither seemed viable. He needed proper physiotherapy, not merely shelter, and private rehab was prohibitively expensive.

While searching online, I stumbled upon palliative care. Honestly, until then, I had no idea what “palliative” even meant. I reached out through emails, WhatsApp messages, and phone calls to several institutions across Mumbai, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, but nothing materialized.

Just when I was about to give up, I came across Pallium India’s website. I browsed through the pages and eventually landed on the Contact section. What caught my attention were the Regional Facilitators relevant to Gopal’s situation.

I emailed both facilitators – Ms. Shanmugapriya (Priya) & Ms. Sunanda, but since time was running out, I called Priya on Thursday, 9th April.

I cannot emphasize enough how patient and empathetic Priya was. That conversation gave me hope. She immediately swung into action and connected with Sukoon Nilaya in Mumbai. Within hours, she asked me to get in touch with Sunanda the following day.

The very next day, Friday, 10th April, thanks to the quick coordination between Priya and Sunanda, I received a call from Sukoon. On Saturday, 11th April, I visited Sukoon and personally met the COO, Dr. Varsha. Finally, on Monday, 13th April, Gopal was discharged from Somaiya and admitted to Sukoon.

Fast forward 21 days, Gopal was recuperating well and walking with the help of a walker. Yet the question of “what next?” lingered, since Sukoon’s mandate allowed only a 21-day stay.

Sunanda advised me to write a brief appeal that she could circulate on WhatsApp groups. And lo and behold, Dr. Eric Borges, Hon. Chairman of the King George V Memorial Trust (under which Sukoon Nilaya operates), responded graciously, granting Gopal an extension for as long as he wished to stay.

Fast forward to June, Gopal is now taking baby steps toward independent walking. The doctors, nurses, and physiotherapy team at Sukoon have done a truly commendable job.

A heartfelt shout out to Priya and Sunanda, without whose unstinting efforts none of this would have been possible.

What I found especially laudable was that Priya and Sunanda did not limit their role to mere facilitation. They continued checking on Gopal’s progress at every stage. Their genuine empathy has helped an old man not only recover, but also live with dignity, without being abandoned.

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