“Being old is positive when you are young”, quipped my sexagenarian friend, Joshy Bro. His words brought back memories of how I used to lie about my age and overstated I was thirteen when in fact, I was barely nine years.
Joshy Bro is hitting sixty-five this October and looking every bit his age. His body is frailer than when I had first met him at a Mentoring Camp three years ago. But his attitude to life is as refreshing and welcoming as freshly brewed coffee on a winter morn. Joshy is one among the many over-the-hill folks that the younger generation brush aside as “senior citizens”. When I had phoned him a few days ago for a “Chai pe Chit Chat” casual meeting, he and his lovely wife, Jaya had moved from their ancestral home to an Aged Care centre roughly eight kilometres away. With a thousand sceptical thoughts dashing across at the back of my mind, I mustered the courage to meet them, comfort them and say “hello”. I even bought a nice Kashmiri shawl for Joshy Bro and a pair of woollen slippers for the lovely lady, just so they felt cared for.
Well, imagine my surprise when I ended up at the Aged Care centre. Meeting the couple instantly vacuumed away the roomful of dusty pre-conceived notions I had about old age homes built for senior citizens who are just waiting for their turn to wither away from our planet.
“We moved in here last year and have never felt happier”, Joshy Bro laughed as he scanned the Kashmiri shawl I had bought him. “The moment your children have kids of their own and you are literally, on your own, most seniors are repeatedly reminded of their advancing age and looming expiry date. Our daughter used to call us every single day just to remind how defenceless we are living alone in our own private property. In a way, she did have a valid point. Quite innocently, the younger generation never miss a chance to tell us that we are done with. That we are growing old, sick and dependent. They continue to be so worried about us that one fine morning, we begin to see ourselves as an autumn leaf, unexcited about waking up the next day, often lying about our actual age and struggling to feel wanted by someone. And it is at that split second, we need to google for a Senior Living centre close to our locality where they know how to make us feel proud of being sixty.”
Does it really make a difference if you are six, twenty-six or sixty-six? To enjoy life, age need not matter. Kids want to be older. Grown-ups want to be younger. And those in the median want to be stuck at twenty-six forever. Autumn leaves like Joshy Bro and Jaya are discovering that life is meant to be enjoyed even at sixty, in the vibrant company of like-minded people at well-established centres designed to cater to the needs of a growing urban elderly population.
Quite innocently, the younger generation never miss a chance to tell us that we are done with. One fine morning, we begin to see ourselves as an autumn leaf, unexcited about waking up the next day, often lying about our actual age and struggling to feel wanted by someone. And it is at that split second, we need to google for a Senior Living centre close to our locality where they know how to make us feel proud of being sixty.”
Caring for The Urban Elderly
Aged Care – referred to as elderly, senior, or geriatric care in India – is a niche market sector that is growing rapidly at an annual CAGR of 18+% (CII, 2018). This sector has been expanding rapidly since 2008 with the entry of property developers involved in building retirement communities/estates and home health care service companies (Jones Lang LaSalle, 2011; EY-FICCI, 2013; Vijayakumar, 2013). The home health care services segment is also growing faster, at a CAGR of 18% and projected to increase from US$ 3.2 billion to US$ 6.2 billion by 2020 (CMR, 2016; Economic Times, 2018). It is becoming more formally organized and technology-led with standards and protocols as well as well-trained nursing professionals.
Although India is still younger than USA and Japan from a demographic standpoint, the process of ageing has begun in the country. With increasing life expectancy and refined health services, the average population of senior citizens is booming in India. Till a couple of months back, joint and extended families have traditionally been the primary support for the elderly in India, with institutionalisation often being looked down upon as a failure of the children to bear their responsibilities in caring for family elders (Datta, 2017). However, traditional family structures have changed with increased urbanisation and employment related mobility. Some studies estimate that 20% of people above 60 years of age in India live alone or solely without a spouse due to not having children or children living in other locations for their education or employment. There is also the mounting realization that urban families are less able or equipped to take care of their elderly parents and kin (Alam et al., 2012; Ponnuswami and Rajasekaran, 2017).
According to the Market Research Report done by MarkOne Global Networks, “there was a time when senior care in India was confined to old age homes. But a few enterprising individuals are breaking the mould around this taboo by striving to provide a luxurious community lifestyle to senior citizens.” MarkOne joined hands with the Australia-based facility, HCI Residential Care and Wellness Centre, Kottayam to research upon the existing gap in elderly care and find a fitting solution to enhance the quality of life for the seniors in our midst.
Jeril Cherian, General Manager – HCI Residential Care and Wellness Centre, is full of hope as he says, “The modern Aged Care centres are a world apart from the conventional Old Age homes we all are so accustomed to hearing about. The elderly need nursing care that is provided by a nurse who is knowledgeable, skilled, vigilant, sensitive, proactive, respectful and positively motivated to care for the aged. We believe that the period of senescence deserves dignity and we provide that with utmost sensitivity and compassion through our care homes.”
The current focus of Indian home health care players is on clinical home-care support. “With our Hospital@Home initiative, this is exactly what we have planned to empower life for the elderly”, says Cherian.
Skilled Care in Aged Care
A significant proportion of the urban elderly population have higher levels of education and social networks. They are more well-travelled, financially stable and better prepared for independent living after retirement (Dhillon, 2018). Family remittances from India’s large diaspora population mitigates the issue of affordability for parents who continue to live and remain behind in India or for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) returning to retire in India (Dewan, 2010). Having lived in countries that provide higher levels of amenity and institutionalised aged care, these groups have higher expectations for skilled care provision for their parents (Agarwal et al., 2016).
Nevertheless, it goes without saying that there is increased market demand for skilled aged care workers at hospitals, retirement living establishments and home health care companies not just in India but at prime destinations such as Australia. Families seek the expertise of skilled personnel when it comes to taking care of the needs of their ageing family members. Similarly, seniors themselves feel secure when they understand they are being taken care of people who are well-trained in aged care and individual support. And here is where, specialized education from global universities play an integral role.
Education providers around the world, especially Australia, have developed leading expertise in a wide range of ‘care-related’ areas including health care, residential aged care, home-based care and disability care that will bring Australian experience in high-quality training and delivery methods across health care and aged care. As a result, they would be able to deliver higher value for students and establish a strong reputation and brand value in India’s rapidly expanding aged care and home health care sectors. With more and more of India’s student population eyeing on this career path, senior citizens would definitely stand to gain a lot in terms of elevated quality of life. In conclusion, India’s elderly population is definitely, projected to increase, in line with global trends. A well-trained workforce to meet the needs of people like Joshy Bro and Jaya is what will set a new benchmark in the emerging aged care sector.
“The modern Aged Care centres are a world apart from the conventional Old Age homes we all are so accustomed to hearing about. The elderly need nursing care that is provided by a nurse who is knowledgeable, skilled, vigilant, sensitive, proactive, respectful and positively motivated to care for the aged. We believe that the period of senescence deserves dignity and we provide that with utmost sensitivity and compassion through our care homes.”