Dhaka, April 11 -- In the twilight years of life when the presence of children is expected to be the ultimate comfort, many elderly parents in Bangladesh are instead met with neglect, abandonment and heartbreaking silence.

The cold reality for thousands is a one-way journey to old age homes, not by choice, but by circumstances.

From cities to suburbs, stories unfold in these quiet shelters- the stories of once-vibrant lives now wrapped in sorrows.

Some have no family at all; others do, but their children live abroad or live nearby and yet remain distant, emotionally absent.

Wealth, status, or sacrifice does not guarantee care. A simple phone call, a heartfelt check-in-many don't even receive that.

At the heart of the capital, in Agar...