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India has the world’s second-largest elderly population and one of the world’s fastest growth rates in the elderly population. The country’s growing elderly population poses a significant challenge in improving the older citizens’ quality of life. Because, with ageing, people face special challenges such as a reduction in physical function, cognition, personal autonomy and engagement in social activities, making them dependent on others for their daily activities and requirements.
Indian older adults predominantly reside with their immediate family members, and they receive the highest social support and care from them when in need. Nevertheless, the blend of urbanization and western culture and children relocating overseas due to rapid globalization has been affecting the family system and the living arrangements of older adults in India. As a result, the proportion of older adults co-residing with their children is declining sharply in India; this has also led to fewer intergenerational households, which makes the provision of household-based social support more challenging. Furthermore, the decline in fertility rate and increase in longevity are elevating the elderly dependency ratio in the country. With this exorbitant growth rate of the older adult population and an increase in the elderly dependency ratio, the change in the living arrangements poses a serious concern about the older adults’ overall well-being.
The level of life satisfaction (LS) in Indian older adults is significantly associated with their living arrangements, thus suggesting that the LS of older adults could be facilitated through interventions that consider their living arrangements. Older adults with various personal and household characteristics were identified as vulnerable groups, who should be the prime targets of the existing welfare policies.
Due to a shortage of living space coupled with high the cost of living in urban areas, children often have no choice but to leave their parents behind in the place of origin. An increase in the older population will lead to an urgent need for elder care and support, at a time, in India particularly where traditional family-based care is becoming less the norm than in the past.
With weak public pension and social security systems coupled with changing household structures, planning for the elderly especially in terms of living arrangements is critical. Added to this, is the fact that there are more elderly women surviving to older ages than their male counterparts. These women were married at a time when large spousal age gaps were the norm, as were low female literacy and labor force participation. Planning for this feminization of aging is thus very important, as is the need to understand experiences leading to vulnerability in old age- financial, familial, or health-related.
Ageing is inevitable and comes with complications that affect the economic and social dispositions of older adults, among other things.
Vama Trust is formed for serving the elders way of giving and caring. Vama’s mission is to enhance the socio-economic status of village community through interventions in health, education, social welfare and livelihood.
Vama advocates for the rural elderly people’s needs such as for Universal pension, quality healthcare, action against Elder Abuse and much more at a national, state and societal level with Central and State governments.
DECADE OF HEALTHY AGING
Decade of Healthy Aging, a movement to bring together governments, civil society, international agencies, professionals, academia, ZenX, Millennials, the media and private sector for ten years of concentrated, catalytic and collaborative action to improve the lives of older people, their families and the community in which they live.
Rural and remote areas in many countries experience more pronounced population ageing than urban areas and subsequently, have a higher share of older residents. Lower population density and more geographically dispersed populations make it more difficult and expensive to create and maintain a comprehensive service infrastructure as common in urban areas.
Consequently, rural populations have less access to services and activities and their situation may aggravate further when combined with poorer socio-economic conditions. This puts rural populations at a disadvantage compared to urban ones and can be particularly problematic for older people who may face a greater risk of social isolation, reduced mobility, lack of support and health care deficits as a result of the place in which they live.
To recognize and meet the needs of older persons in rural and remote areas, policies need to be flexible and sensitive to local variations in cultural and physical realities. They can best be designed and implemented at a local or regional level, and supported by higher levels of government.
Vama play a key role in the development of the Decade of Healthy Aging for the Rural India by ensuring the development of successful proposed actions, interventions and partnerships with critical and leading partners and stakeholders from the region.
Vama provides elders relief through various interventions – it runs Senior Citizen Centre – a Day Care Centre for elders to remove their isolation. Vama’s Senior Citizen Centre is a call for – Starting a new chapter in the lives of elders.
Saturday Sangamam event and Mid-day meal through Vama Café are signature projects of Vama Trust, with a majority of the funds coming from the trustee’s own pocket. There are donations from organisations too.
To support the next phase of operations, Vama Team hopes to reach a stage where its initiative will be more sustainable financially to continue getting the elders the support that they need.
During COVID 19 lockdown, Vama Trust started serving mid day meal to poor elders in and around Sivasailam. Serving food to elders continued post covid situation and currently 48 members regularly benefit by way of getting their lunch.
Lunch for elders is prepared and served every day at Sailam (the Day Care Centre for elders). Some of the Vama’s beneficiaries prepare food at Happy Kitchen and serve the same to elders. Happy Kitchen is becoming the ground for showing elders talent. Several beneficiaries praised the taste of the food.
Weekly and monthly schedule is prepared and followed to cook variety and hygiene healthy food for elders.
VAMA VAN (CAFÉ)
Apart from serving food at Sailam, a Mahendra TREO van carrying food to various places where Vama’s elderly beneficiaries are there and are immobile.
I have seen the quality of the free food that floats around our village through Vama Van, I think it’s mediocre but prepared hygienically and with love.
For Vama team, that is the impetus to do better, give better.
Vama also plans to establish Vama Café, an extension of its food counter at various places. Each elderly person will get coupons, and each coupon allows them to redeem a hot meal at VAMA CAFÉ which visits to a place close to their residence. Vama Café – plans to serve other regions taste with the south Indian touch to make society aware with different taste of different states. Also serves rice with an assortment of side dishes, with residents getting a choice of Dosa/ Chappati/ variety rice, etc.
Happy Kitchen and Vama Van (Café) serve an estimated 3500 free meals every month. The team also cater free lunches for the elders every Saturday and on special occasion – Deepawali, Christmas, Ramzan, Newyear and Pongal, etc. Vama Team believes in serving more than just meals, they crate a space for them to talk, laugh and eat a meal together – ingredients that are often not abundant when you are isolated.
Vama’s Senior Citizen Centre’s first engagement programme – Saturday Milan (Sangamam) @ Sailam started on 23/7/23 and recently 67th week was celebrated.
Objectives of the program are (i) to remove isolation (ii) to engage with same age group; (iii) sharing experiences and (iv) making new friends and hosting lunch regularly.
During Saturday events, Vama Trust provides enough facilities to senior citizens for recreational activities for both the old and young and quenching elders’ knowledge thirst by arranging tours to places of cultural, historical and religious importance.
These gatherings act as both the draw and glue that get the elderly to socialize and remind each other that they are not done. Yet another community led effort but with a twist to take care of their own. That’s what Saturday Sangamam is about.
Vama Trust endeavours through this program to enable elders to discover and rediscover their passion and live happily. On all these 70 Saturdays, Vama enabled the elders by bringing connections between generations – social and emotional – and thereby inculcating values among the youngsters and creating opportunities for senior citizens which enabled them to connect with the community.
Home Sweet Home is a saying that fits anyone. Elders also feel safe, secure, and comfortable in their own home and the familiar surroundings. The elders’ own home is the strongest bond between them and their immediate socio-physical environment. But the special needs of the elderly are being addressed and Vama started bringing to the elderly a sustainable ecosystem by providing all inclusive support to them in their own homes.
Many of the elders living in the area lonely. Aged 60 and above mostly retired, some supported by their families, some barely managing their own.
NEST program of Vama provides the poor elderly people with necessary financial support for their survival and basic necessary comforts like cots, mattresses, fans etc at their dwelling places. Vama’s services to destitute elders and caring for old people help elders become self-reliant and independent. The elderly are also provided with free medicines recommended at the periodical health camps that are being conducted and present them with new clothes.
Volunteers and school & College students associated with Vama are instrumental for collating and identifying deserving elders for the support. Team Connect of Vama regularly visits elders’ places and spend good time with them and also ascertain the needs to support them.
Through the formation of Active Aging Groups Vama empowers elders to care others in the same and other locality by providing them livelihood opportunities and links them with Government schemes, removing isolation, engaging with same age group, sharing experience and making new friends and hosting lunch and provides relief & rehabilitation for elders’ post disasters like COVID 19 and local rains, loss of family members etc. and ensure caring for elderly. It works hand-in-hand with other Oldage home and NGOs caring elders understanding elder needs working with and for them.
Independent living and aging in their own home. This is the choice of most seniors and staying independent at home may require several adjustments to the home as well as getting home support from a family caregiver or professional caregivers.
In villages, like in urban cities, there is no assisted living facilities nor elders who worked all along in the paddy field or daily wages could not save any money for their old age.
In villages, transport facilities are yet to be improved and many a time for many things, people are required to come to nearby town which is a biggest challenge.
With the objective of making elders to feel safe, secure and comfortable in their own home and the familiar surroundings, weekly/ fortnightly / monthly schedule are made and visits are made accordingly.
Support is extended on need basis in emergency cases and at the convenience of nurses and doctors of primary health Centre, visits are organized at their places.
Vama team through its NEST program distribute dry ration, Mid-day meal, medicines, etc. They manage to reach about 60 households daily and 250 households weekly and above 1000 families in a month across 18 villages in and around Sivasailam.
A scoping survey was conducted by VAMA team in & around Sivasailam & Kalyanipuram, by visiting door to door of beneficiaries to understand problems and planned enhanced framework, to understand the care and support needs of older people, focusing on those living at home with chronic conditions.
The survey highlighted that elder faced a range of physical, social and psychological challenges due to living with chronic conditions and required care and support in three main areas:
1) social activities and relationships.
2) psychological health; and
3) activities related to mobility, self-care, and domestic life.
The survey also highlighted that many older people demonstrated a desire to cope with their illness and maintain independence, however, environmental factors interfered with these efforts including:
1) lack of professional advice on self-care strategies.
2) poor communication and coordination of services; and
3) lack of information on services such as care pathways.
A gap in the knowledge was also identified about the care and support needs of two groups within the older population:
1) older workers; and
2) older carers.
VAMA trust provides elders care at their door step & ensures that VAMA team available for their health care 24X7.
Program’s purpose is to ensure the support of elders’ hospital visit on regular intervals for their treatment or any emergency injury care support. “Ecco” Maruti van is purchased with the support of Northernarc Capital Limited for this program.
Every Friday Ecco Maruti Van used to take beneficiaries to hospital for their regular weekly check-up & medication. And this program opened for all elderly people living in society near Sivasailam, Kalyanipuram, Chettikulam, Sambankukm, Bunglow Kudiyieruppu & Pudhu Kudiyieruppu.
Life expectancy has increased during recent decades, which has increased the number of elders in the society. According to a recent study, about a third of seniors, ages 50-80, are lonely. More than one-third of respondents said they felt a lack of companionship. Feelings of isolation are common when companionship is absent.
Magnify of those social isolation include suffering from widower and widows, those who live far from friends or family, and those who lack transportation or have a loss of mobility.
In association with Gandhigram Trust – Avvai Ashram, Vama has established a Senior Citizen Centre to provide day care to the elders in the Sivasailam and other adjoining areas. A building with three rooms are being used for a short stay of elders during either their participation in various event sor to remove their isolation during any illness or depression or any other occasion based on the need. On an average 10-15 elders benefit every month and we plan to provide a permanent shelter to the needy elders.
CONNECTING GENERATIONS
Research shows that every child need at least four to six involved, caring adults throughout their childhood years for a sound emotional and social development. But children in nuclear families are deprived of this opportunity and thus there arises a need to connect generations emotionally and socially.
Generation gap and bringing connect between generations – Late Boomers, Gen X and Millennials and Gen Z – social and emotional and thereby inculcating values among the youngsters. Millennials have come of age during a time of technological change, globalization, and economic disruption. That given them a different set of behaviours and experiences than their parents. They have shown different attitudes to ownership, and they tend to be assertive with strong views.
Gen Z – people born after 1995, never known the world without computer and cell phone. Globally focused, visually engaged, educationally transformed, socially defined “ TECHNOHOLICS.”
In India, the notion of kinship ties for support through the life course is central to everyday life. It stipulates that it is the duty of a child- particularly a male child- to provide parental support in their old age, traditionally in the form of co- residence.
Elders who belong to the generation of Late Boomers, Gen X and even Millennials finds themselves lot of concerns in the values that got lost during the generation change. Respecting elders and caring.
At SAILAM we arrange weeklong residential camps for school children in which senior citizens attached to VAMA Trust play the roles of grandparents. There are sessions on storytelling, painting, and drawing, gardening and training on traditional sports and games. Such an exercise shall help to pass on the wisdom and experience of seniors to the next generation.
“SAILAM” – Senior Citizen Centre is situated at the foot hills of the Western Ghats and on the banks of Gaddana River. It is at a distance of 25 kms. east of Courtallam, the Spa of South India. The serene ambience of its location, indaunted by the maddening crowd, will definitely be an ideal place for the elders to spend much of their twilight years.
To enlarge its activities, VAMA is now in the process of inviting elders from other homes or in the urban assisted living apartments to SAILAM.
Elders can experience and enjoy the atmosphere and can get rejuvenated. As the food can be cooked at Happy Kitchen, their stay can be more comfortable. They can also see to believe and realise the life of elders in the rural India.
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