Silver linings playbook

India has hit upon a bevy of services and products for the elderly

- K. SUNIL THOMAS

Beena moved her parents from Pune to a house near hers in Bengaluru, to care for them. But it turned out that they needed more than that. Her parents, Sarojini, 86, and Moti Shahnani, 92, required catheter support besides daily care. And Covid was the last straw.

“I was not able to take them to doctors,” said Beena, who turned in desperation to Portea, a health care startup that offers services ranging from basic nursing assistance to tailor-made packages based on patients’ requirements. Beena signed up for a package that included daily nursing care at home, medical monitoring, catheter change and emergency medical attention. “My parents stay in their own independent house, but I know that there is help at hand at any time of the day,” she said.

On the other end of the spectrum is Ila Gupta, 66. The Gurugram-based homemaker joined Senior Dance Wellness, a programme curated exclusively for seniors by the dance wellness company You Can Dance, a while ago. “Dance was a passion for me, but I was busy with duties at home. But now that my children are settled, I can finally indulge in it,” she said.

“We felt there was a huge gap in the market,” said You Can Dance’s co-founder Yatan Ahluwalia, who, along with co-founder & creative director Pulkit Sharma, designs the session keeping in mind the health conditions of the seniors.