Outsourcing eldercare: city looks to home attendants for help

Majority of the clientele said to comprise elders who live with their families

A scene from the Kannada movie Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu. Unlike in the film, many in the city prefer hiring an attendant over sending elders to old-age homes.

Sections of the audience frowned at Shiva, the character played by Rakshith Shetty in the Kannada movie Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, for choosing to admit his father Venkoba Rao (Ananth Nag), who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, into a facility instead of caring for him himself. But is Shiva’s existence only fictional? A growing number of examples from families in the city point otherwise.

If not shifting the elderly into facilities, hiring assistance is the other option becoming increasingly popular in Bengaluru. In fact, agencies and non-government organisations offering such services say a majority of their clientele, the base of which has also grown over the years, comprises elderly people who live with their families. The other group is of those whose children live abroad or in other Indian cities.

It is not trained nurses, who are equipped to handle medical needs, these families are opting for. These are attendants, trained or otherwise, who tend to the everyday needs of the elderly and are available for a minimum monthly fee of Rs. 10,000. This fee was around Rs. 3,000 about a decade ago.

For 90-year-old Nataraj (name changed), who lives with his son’s family, an attendant has become a necessity. He is recovering from a hip replacement surgery. While Mr. Nataraj can move around the house on his own, he needs help to get up from a chair, lie down on the bed and other such activities. This is why his family decided to look for help outside.

“I have a nine-year-old son. My father-in-law doesn’t need help round-the-clock, but he does need it at times. If we hadn’t hired help, one of us would have had to stay at home all the time,” said Rathna, his daughter-in-law. They pay the attendant Rs. 14,000 a month.

Similarly, an aged couple, both over 90, live in a big house in Malleswaram. An attendant comes in from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to assist them with simple tasks that get difficult with age, such as answering the phone or opening the door.

“As many as 390 of our attendants have been hired in Bengaluru, mostly to tend to senior citizens who are aged over 70 and are very weak or ailing. When we started off in 2001, there was limited demand. But now, even families with whom these elderly are living with are opting for our services. The main reason they cite is that they are busy and can’t spare enough time to look after them,” said Narayana Swamy G.M., director of Sumukha Facilitators Pvt. Ltd.

Hiring an attendant is also looked at as a more affordable investment, costing between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 20,000, compared to hiring a trained nurse, which could cost Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 a month. And for an increasing number of families, an attendant is no longer a luxury.

Companionship, a reason

It is not just for physical help that the elderly are hiring help. Many senior citizens ask for attendants just to keep them company through the night. This is especially true of the elderly whose spouses are no more and who are home alone.

“My aunt lost her husband many years ago. She is 75 and is afraid of staying alone at night. So, an attendant comes in at 8 p.m., stays the night, and leaves by morning,” said Anjana. Her aunt pays Rs. 14,000 a month to the attendant.