"Sending elderly parents to old-age homes is better than leaving them alone:" Waseem Badami on Ayesha Khan’s death

Renowned journalist and host Waseem Badami condoled the death of veteran actress Ayesha Khan, stating that placing elderly parents in old-age homes is better than leaving them completely alone.

Badami took to Instagram to discuss the tragic passing of veteran actress Ayesha Khan, whose decomposed body was found in her apartment in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, seven days after her death.

Reports indicated that she had been living alone, while her son resides abroad.

“A heartbreaking news that has left me in pain is that a renowned Pakistani actress, Ayesha Khan, who was 77 years old, has passed away. We all have to leave this world one day, but the circumstances in which she departed were unusual and deeply distressing,” Badami said.

He added that she was a resident of Karachi. “She had sons living abroad, while her nephews are in Pakistan. However, she was living alone.”

“Due to a fracture in her foot, she had stopped going outside,” Badami said, citing what neighbors told the media. 

Read: Veteran actress Ayesha Khan's seven-day-old body found in her Karachi apartment 

“I strongly oppose old-age homes. I don’t understand why parents are sent there,” he said, expressing frustration over how society treats elderly parents.

However, Badami acknowledged that while he generally does not support sending parents to old-age homes, in situations where children are unable to care for their elderly parents, it may be a better alternative than leaving them completely alone.

“Sending elderly parents to an old-age home is better than leave them alone without proper care,” he said.

He also admitted that it might have been Ayesha Khan’s personal choice to live alone. “But if an elderly woman chooses to live alone and eventually dies in such circumstances, then perhaps sending her to an old-age home would have been the better option,” he added.