Helpage India

HelpAge India has created Elder-Self-Help-Groups where elders are actively involved in income generating activities.

HelpAge India conducts awareness sessions on digital literacy, old-age pension, financial planning, reverse mortgage, wills and legacies etc.

HelpAge mobilizes elders through the formation of Elder-Self-Help-Groups (ESHGs) that are centered on sustainable methods of income generation. These ESHGs are then federated into higher-level community institutions so that they gain additional robustness. This model of HelpAge India has been adopted by the Ministry of Rural Development. HelpAge supports 7,415 groups with 95,584 Elderly across 16 states in India, helping elders regain their dignity.

Keeping in mind the vulnerability of elders & our Corona warriors on ground, in the current Covid 19 pandemic situation, HelpAge India is adhering to all the safety and hygiene measures for all its programs on the field, like wearing face masks, regular washing & sanitization of hands, and maintaining social distancing norms at all times, to ensure their safety & protection.

A roof over their heads is a critical need of the elder who are destitute, sick and abandoned by family and those uprooted by disasters. HelpAge India has established model homes for the senior citizens and aged in places such as Patiala & Gurdaspur in Punjab, Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Kolkata in West Bengal. HelpAge supports 300 old age homes and runs 5 barrier homes for the aged in India.

There are thousands of destitute & disadvantaged elders who do not even have access to two square meals and the means to meet their basic needs. One of the oldest programs of HelpAge India is Support a Gran, formerly known as the ‘Adopt a Gran’ program which aims at filling this gap. Monthly ration of wheat, rice, pulses, cooking oil and basic spices are provided along with daily use items such as detergent, soap, clothing and some pocket money, to needy elders living in old age homes. The ration not only provides these elders much needed sustenance, but also provides them with a sense of security, so they can live with dignity.

In a country where more than 90% elders have to work in order to survive, affording quality medical care is a far dream. People are living longer, the Oldest Old, those 80 plus, are estimated to reach 53 million by 2050. 88% of the Oldest Old (80+) suffer from chronic ailments such as hypertension, asthma, arthritis, heart problems etc. HelpAge’s Mobile Healthcare program seeks to provide sustainable healthcare solutions to destitute elders and their community where these are none available through its Mobile Healthcare Units (MHUs). Each MHU has a doctor, pharmacist and a social worker. These MHUs go into the interiors of urban slums and villages, bringing healthcare virtually at the doorsteps of these destitute elders. For most elders it saves them from the long lines at hospitals which are also situated far from their communities and they get free medication on a monthly basis. Their Individual patient card keeps a record of their treatment and helps monitor their progress.

Natural calamities reveal that in the struggle for survival, the elderly are usually the last in the line and lost in the crowd, and therefore suffer the most.
HelpAge India started its disaster intervention programs in the year 1980. The first of its kind among voluntary organizations, the HelpAge India unit was trained and equipped to bring swift and effective counter measures in the face of disasters.

Today, HelpAge India’s disaster response model is equipped to rush in quickly to reach out not only to the elderly but also to the community at large, providing relief with food, clothing and shelter to establishing long-lasting rehabilitation programs. Which is why, HelpAge India could immediately respond to disasters such as the earthquakes in Gujarat and J&K, floods in Assam, Uttar Pradesh Bihar and Odisha, cloudbursts in Leh and Uttarakhand, Tsunami in Tamil Nadu etc. and in the current Covid 19 pandemic situation.

The Mobile Health Unit programme seeks to address the problem of poor access to healthcare facilities by the elderly. It has three components:  Direct intervention: This component involves a sponsored/donated MHU which provides primary healthcare and free over-the-counter medicines to the elderly at their doorsteps. The unit documents the medical history of elderlies registered with the MHU. These MHUs are well equipped and modified to function as mobile clinics. MHUs have the following personnel:  Doctor  Pharmacist  Social worker  Driver (may also function as an additional social worker) MHUs are required to visit two locations per day with a weekly/fortnightly cycle. Viability of a MHU site is decided based on the number of patients visiting the MHU at that site. If less than 50 patients visit the MHU for multiple weeks, the frequency of visit to that site may be reduced or discontinued. However, while deciding the viability of a MHU site, seasonal variations in patient flow is taken into consideration.  Community-based interventions: The MHU’s social worker sensitises the community about the preventive healthcare practices and government services. As an exit strategy, HelpAge plans to set up gram chikitsa centres managed by elder self-help groups. Another plan is to identify existing accredited health clinics in the community and provide support to these clinics for extending services to elders once the MHU becomes operational in that community. HelpAge will monitor both these interventions. However, these interventions are still in the planning stage and their actual efficacy is yet to be tested. HelpAge India has 144 Mobile Medicare Units which covers 23 States and provides 2 million free treatments per annum.