One of the biggest worries for any senior citizen is the fear of falling & getting injured. However careful he or she is it can happen anytime. It happened to my walking friend, 92-year-old Sundaram, a few weeks ago. An NRI parent whose only daughter is settled in the USA, he stays with his wife in a flat in Besant Nagar. Like most NRI parents he has to fend for himself for all his requirements. However, during the lockdown in 2020, his daughter entered into an arrangement with an Elder Care Service provider to give any help the couple wanted any time of the day.
It
was a Sunday. After his meal at the dining table when he went to the washbasin
in the kitchen to wash his hands he slipped and fell. He couldn`t get up. His
frail wife could not lift him up. As the neighbours were not available, with
help from a nearby vendor he was lifted and seated in a chair. His wife
remembered her daughter`s instruction to contact the service provider for any help.
A
telephone call brought one of the co-founders and her partner from the service
provider within twenty minutes. They took charge of the situation, summoned an
ambulance, and got Sundaram admitted to a nearby hospital. At the hospital, they discussed
with the doctors and once the fracture was confirmed they admitted him and
appointed a 24/7 caregiver. They did not
disturb Sundaram`s wife. She was at home
and they kept her and their daughter informed of the doctor’s view and surgery
plan. Luckily for
Sundaram, the next day the senior surgeon discovered only a hairline fracture,
surgery was performed, and a steel plate was inserted. While friends kept in
touch with his wife to give her moral support, it was the caregiver who was
attached to Sundaram 24/7 until he returned home five days later when he was
able to walk around with a walker. They have continued with the same caregiver at home too and
organized physio for a full recovery. Needless to say, Sundaram`s daughter from the
USA was closely monitoring to ensure that her father was well taken care
of despite her physical absence. As well as she would have taken care of him if
she had been present. A promise made by the service provider which they
kept up.
Sundaram
confirmed that in the last three years, the services provided by the service
provider called Sakhi4life were exemplary. Both he and his daughter who takes care of the bills, are very happy. Registered
as a company by three ladies with extensive corporate experience Sakhi4life
offers support, care, and companionship for aging
parents with the same kind of respect and effort that the absentee children of
such parents would provide them. It could be as small as ordering a meal on Swiggy or a car
on Uber or arranging a celebration with friends, and they are just one call away for every need. Sakhi Counsellors are trained to help seniors in managing their
daily chores, payments, legal, medical, technical, financial, or government
requirements; dealing with vendors and household staff on their behalf, and
most importantly, companionship. In other words, they can provide any kind of
help that the elders require at any time of the day.
According to Sundaram`s daughter, the payment terms
are reasonable. She told me that a few of her friends with NRI parents have
used the service and are happy. Sakhi4life offers customized package deals
based on the specific requirements of the elders needing their care. While I am
aware of many `Anytime patient care` service providers, this is the first
time I came across an `Any time, any care` service provider in Sakhi4life which
is modeled on similar elder care bodies like Aaji Care in Mumbai,
Porosh in Kolkata and Kites in Bengaluru.
Anyone looking for
such a service in Chennai can visit the website- sakhi4life.com for more details.
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