Chandigarh, May 28 -- In a letter written to the UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday, director of National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore urged him to keep Group Home for its original purpose only and not diverge it into senior citizen home.

Director, NIMHANS, Dr Prabha S Chandra wrote "People with chronic mental illnesses are often the most marginalised in the Indian community. A common refrain of family members is 'What after us?' Assisted living facilities are very few in our country. When I heard of the administration going ahead with building a Group home for persons with mental and intellectual disabilities, it kindled a hope that other states would follow and do the same."

The let...