Medical facilities at Nana Nani

 Many of my friends who are contemplating moving to a senior citizen home want to know about the medical facilities available in Nana Nani. In case of a health emergency what kind of help a resident gets from the management of Nana Nani. Here is a brief report on the available facilities based on my experience and information I have gathered from other long-term residents in Phase 4 where I am staying. Before I could move into the facility as a tenant, I had to undergo a medical check-up at the Clinic on campus. The purpose was to find out if I had health issues that would need assisted living. I was cleared by the resident doctor to move into the facility as my health parameters were normal & I was capable of looking after myself.

 Once you move in, a nurse visits your apartment to record your health status in a diary, noting down information about any major health issues you had in the past and what medicines you are currently taking. She also notes the contact details of your family members who can be contacted in case of an emergency and what is your choice of hospital in Coimbatore where, if the need arose, you would like to be admitted. A team of two nurses visits you weekly to note your BP and oxygen level on the day in a diary ( kept in your room).

 Single residents are advised not to lock their doors from inside at any time. They are also called on the intercom every morning to find out if they are okay. The resident is also given the contact numbers of the resident nurses who live in the campus and can be contacted in case of an emergency any time of the day. There is also a resident junior doctor attached to the clinic who lives in the campus and another senior doctor who visits the clinic at fixed times five days a week. There are retired doctors who live in the community who also offer their services free to those who approach them for advice. There is also an ambulance permanently stationed on the campus to take patients to the hospital in case of an emergency. A pharmacy is attached to the clinic inside the campus. Orders placed in person or through WhatsApp are delivered within 24hours.

 There are special emergency switches marked red in the bedrooms and the bathrooms, which, if pressed bring the security followed by the nurses to your doorstep. Recenty, the management has introduced a special App ( Ananya App) to not only provide resident information about all the facilities but also an `Alert` button, which if pressed brings the security & nurses to your door. You are advised to download the app on your mobile and use it to access any facility on campus. The App also has a facility to make online payments to settle bills of Nana Nani.

 In the case of residents whose mobility is restricted and those who need assistance to get jobs done outside the campus or who are feeling lonely and don't have any near and dear ones in Coimbatore to help them, there is a `we care` group of volunteers. It consists of able-bodied residents, who offer their services to those who are in need. A kind of informal support system which has been operating for some time. Unfortunately, there is little awareness about this facility. I came to know about it only recently, five months after I moved into Nana Nani. Of course, if you are active in the community and become close to some residents, they could become your support system in case of an emergency, until some family member comes to take charge.

 For those who need assisted living, part time or full time , the admin can help get trained caregivers from such service providers available in Coimbatore. Residents also get such services from outside.

 While this post gives you an idea of the general medical facilities available in N & N I will deal with information about what happens in case of an emergency, with some real case studies, in the next post.

A fun event and a spiritual talk at Nana Nani!

The Phase 4 of Nana Nani is blessed with very talented people. Many writers, singers, dancers, speakers are scholars in different subjects. Some of them take the initiative to mastermind interesting programmes and present them at the state-of-the-art auditorium in the Club House to the delight of an appreciative audience. One such programme masterminded by the Vijaya-Vasanthi duo ( Popularly known as V2 in the community) was held on 9^th July. It was an unusual concept where the programme started with songs invoking gods with relevant commentary preceding the songs by Vijaya and Vasanthi followed by chanting of slokas by Vedic Scholars. The programme ended with some members singing Hindi and Tamil film songs accompanied by a Karaoke facility. The last peppy number witnessed many in the audience, young and old,  getting on the stage and dancing,  shaking whatever body part they could shake. While all the performers were very good, two singers stood out. Octogenarian Radha Natarajan  belting out a popular and difficult song on Muruga by K.B.Sundarambal in her stentorian voice. If you closed the eyes and listened to the song, it was as if Sundarambal singing and not Radha.  Meera Kumar, a popular dancer in the community displayed her ability to sing Tamil film songs. It was her first attempt at singing. Her melodious rendering of the song `Vaseegara` from the film `Minnale`  made the audience demand an encore from her. The entire programme had the resourceful A/V expert in the community  Krishna Kumar, projecting appropriate and interesting visuals to accompany each song in the background.  

Congratulations to the VV duo for one more innovative  programme enjoyed thoroughly by the packed audience in the hall.

--------------------------------------------

A surprise request from the PRO saw me acting as an MC at a meeting held on 10^th July, to introduce a book titled `Vivekachudamani` authored by Dr. Mrs. Prabha Anant.  Chief Guest was Dr.Prabhakar  of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The  meeting was  attended by a modest gathering. As I mentioned in my vote of thanks both the scholarly speakers have sown a seed in my mind about going spiritual! For a person who has been always spirited but never spiritual, it is going to be challenging!

 

 

Stories around the club house at Nana Nani

 The lobby and the veranda outside the dining hall where residents gather before the appointed meal times is where you are likely to meet old friends or make new friends.

 It was the first time I was visiting the dining hall in the Club House complex of Nana Nani where I had just moved. While waiting for the doors of the dining hall to open, I saw a lady who looked familiar. The lady was also staring at me. I remembered that for a short period, she was a member of my Rotary club in Chennai, 30 years ago. I, however, could not remember her name. But she remembered my name and introduced herself. She and her husband became my new friends with whom I have become close in Nana Nani.

 During meal times at the dining hall, I try to sit at different tables allowing me to make new friends. Once the gentleman sitting opposite me stared at me and started describing an old friend he used to know in Chennai whom I resembled. He couldn`t immediately recall the name. When I introduced myself and assured him that it was me he was describing, he was pleasantly surprised. When he mentioned his name I could relate to the incidents in Chennai he narrated. We have become good friends since then.

 Another long-time resident, my namesake, recognized me the first time I met him, claiming he knew me well from my school days in Matunga, Bombay. Though his face looked familiar, I could not place him. We both could not remember where we had met. After two months of scratching our respective brains, we still could not remember the place where we had met first. One day when he mentioned the name of my friend whom he used to visit in the Chawl complex where I was staying, it struck a chord. I realised that I used to meet this gentleman in the company of my good friend. Since then, this gentleman has also become my good friend.

I have made numerous friends here who are either relatives of friends I know or friends of my friends or friends of my relatives. I have already mentioned about a group of friends I meet in the evenings for gupshup. Slowly but surely I am getting integrated into this friendly community in Phase 4 of Nana Nani.

 

 Like many other octogenarians, I too have a problem remembering names & faces. Many of the residents have similar features landing me in embarrassing situations. Whenever I sit with strangers at the dining table I have the habit of introducing myself. In the last four months, at least four people have told me that I had already introduced myself and they know me. Making me squirm with embarrassment.

 In an earlier posting, I have already written about the new pair of Chappals I lost outside the clubhouse of N& N a month ago. This time I was the guilty party in the missing chappal story of a good friend. I was sitting with some friends in the dining hall during breakfast time. One day this friend sitting opposite me was delighted to announce that he found his missing chappals in the same place where he had left them the previous day. I sheepishly confessed to him that it was me who had by mistake walked away with his chappals in place of my similar-looking chappals after breakfast and replaced them quietly during lunch, without knowing that it was his chappals. We had a hearty laugh. I told my friend that I was not as lucky as I never got back my new pair of chappals which I lost outside the clubhouse. However, another pair of chappals similar to mine had been lying like two orphans outside the clubhouse for more than a month unclaimed by the original owner. The admin guys removed them recently.

 Watch out for many more interesting stories from Nana Nani!