Auroville is building a care facility for its ageing residents, many of whom have been involved in its creation nearly five decades ago.
There are now around 360 people above the age of 65 in Auroville, of which many are above 80 and a few are above 90. In 2011-2012, the number of seniors was around 200.
The Home for Assisted Living, a project of the Auroville Health Services, arose out of the need for an economic and effective way to provide for the needs of the seniors given their growing numbers.
As the nation ages, it is important that the special requirements of the senior citizens or elderly are met, said Auroville Foundation Governing Board Chairman Karan Singh at the foundation laying ceremony of the Home for Assisted Living at Auroville.
An effective way to care for seniors
The Home will be built next to Arka, a holistic project consisting of wellness treatments, therapies and activities. Already, around 1,000 people come to Arka in a month, said Maria Grazia, one of the founders of Arka. She said that with the Home for Assisted Living there would be better integration of health services. Residents of the Home will find Arka to be easily accessible, she said.
Krishan Myer from the Arka management team said that he had suggested to the Auroville Foundation a place for senior Aurovilians who had dedicated their life to Auroville. Residents coming to the Home have to surrender their existing houses and live there, he said.
Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister Mr. Singh said that the realisation of old age comes either with individual suggestion where one feels one cannot do certain things because of advanced age, or collective suggestion where society tells one cannot do certain tasks. He quoted The Mother who had said in 1963 that it is at 80 years of age that one becomes ‘capable of full production’ and wished the seniors of Auroville a happy and productive life.
A communal space
In a collective environment, the Home for Assisted Living will provide a living space to senior citizens with individual bedrooms with a kitchenette and a bathroom, and shared areas for interactions, meetings and events. The residents will help each other and work together to arrange for the lifestyle they wish, said a note about the project.
The building for the home will be made using new and more eco-friendly technologies, including the use of solar power. The first phase of the building to accommodate eight residents is estimated to cost Rs. 2 crore. It is expected to be completed in around eight months.
The inauguration is part of a series of activities with the meetings of the Governing Board and the International Advisory Council underway at Auroville this weekend. The Auroville Foundation, created through the Auroville Foundation Act, comprises the Governing Board, the International Advisory Council and the Residents Assembly. Renowned author and International Advisory Council member Sir William Mark Tully told The Hindu that there was a need for more such places. “I am turning 80 soon, so I have a personal interest in the project. There is a growing need for such places also considering that medicines are getting better. I hope this project is successful and the people here can take this idea to other places,” he said.
