Call it assisted living, senior living or simply ‘home’. “Assisted care for elders is the need of the hour, especially for people like me who have crossed 40,” says Prakash Jayaraman, President of Verizon Network at Dallas, US. He is talking about the newly-opened NNRC Elca Care, an assisted living facility located at Peelamedu in the city. “His in-laws, who are currently in the US, will directly come to our facility from the airport once they land here,” says Dhinakar Perumal, founder of Elca Care, adding that it was enquiries from residents at his Nirmala Nilayam Retirement Community located near Siruvani, 15 kilometres from Coimbatore, that led him to start an exclusive facility like Elca in the city.
Says Prakash, “When I bought Villa 32 at NNRC I always thought that my mother might require assisted elder care at some point in the future. From the US Medial Support Policy standpoint, anyone not able to do three out of five things (bathing, dressing, eating, self mobility, toileting and continence) become eligible for assisted care. It is the right step towards senior citizens in the medically advanced city of Coimbatore.”
The facility serves as an option for elders who need help with some of the activities of daily living like cooking meals, getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night, personal care services, as well as round-the-clock medical care and supervision of a nursing home. “It is open to anyone who needs rest and recuperation post a hip surgery or any surgery as month-long stays at hospitals might work out expensive. We are also reaching out to cancer survivors who need special medical care and also provide palliative care,” adds Dhinakar.
Sasikala D who lives in Tiruppur shifted her mother who was living alone in Sulur near Pattanam to Elca for a month. “My mother has rheumatoid arthritis and she needs assistance to go to the washroom and to do her physio exercises, especially during the winter months. Though I couldn’t be there physically, I could take care of my mother . She also enjoyed traditional food like ragi kali that was served there.”
So did Sanjana Dinesh’s grandfather who spent a month for post operative recovery after a fracture. “He loved kambankoozh. I have a seven-month-old baby to attend to. My grandparents live with my mother and all of them are well in their 60s and 70s. Instead of going in for a home nurse, we chose this because it takes care of his three meals, his exercise and wellness too.”
Dhinakar says there is more demand from NRIs. “They are reluctant to employ 24-hour home nurse services because of security reasons, especially if the elders are immobile. We have worked out curated packages based on the number of days of stay. The package also covers services like regular monitoring of blood glucose and blood pressure levels and in case of an emergency we move them to hospitals nearby.”
It is not just about assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, going to the bathroom, and walking, it is also about keeping them engaged with activities like pottery, and indoor games, says Dr D Sathyadeepa, Chief Medical Officer. “Patients who have had a stroke need 24/7 nursing services to make the transition to normal. The facility is to ease the process of the road to recovery in the transition period and in some cases it is care for life, especially aged parents whose children are away. Being in a facility helps them improve mobility, prevents accidental falls, and also medication errors.”
Prakash says exposing them to art and pottery also helps reduce their screen time. “While inside a medical support, your mind is always pre-occupied with worries. Any relaxing activity helps ease up that tension and makes them physically active too. Activities like tambola, puzzles, card games, horse shoe throwing among others, helps retain motor skills and rekindle memory power.”
To know more, visit www.ELCA.in
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