Intergenerational Model of Care!! Innovation in Aged Care Facility: Young and Elderly Learn Under the Same Roof! Can You Guess Which Country is Experimenting? Read this Perspective!!

Dear Friends and Students

This is an interesting Experiment conducted on Elderly People in Australia. Before that, please read the Indian perspective and check whether this fits in the Indian context or not, keeping our culture and ethos into consideration.

It is estimated that number of elderly people to increase to 173 million by 2026 in India. A few decades back, children deem it their moral responsibility to take care of the old parents. However, there is a huge social transformation in terms of lifestyle changes, nuclear families, independent mind-set of elder people, in search better education and jobs to metropolitan cities and outside India, chronic health issues of the parents, etc. It is not only from the children's side, there are few issues reported from the elder’s point of view as well as they are not getting adjusted with daughter-in-law or son-in-law. This trend led to mushrooming of old age homes across India. We are also observing that many children do not show up after 4 or 5 months of dropping parents at old age home. One of the reasons cited was an increase in the maintenance costs.

While this is the fact, it is reported that the elder people at old age homes are facing a lot of distress. There was a study made. It was found that 37.7% were found with depression, anxiety disorders (13.3%), and dementia (11.1%) (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3440908/)

These aspects demand better old age homes for senior citizens. So there is a need to revamp the old age home concept. Shall we call them Old Age Home or Retirement Homes/Senior Living Homes? Conceptually, Senior Living Homes or Retirement Homes are above the old age homes!! They should consider architecture, facilities, companionship, independence, Spaces to Hone skills or Learn New ones, stimulating lifestyle, Continuous Care Retirement community (CCRC): physiotherapy, bathing, medicated dressing, feeding, grooming, Food & nutrition, a place to host children, family and friends in their independent unit, Yoga, swimming, gyms and fitness centers, table tennis, badminton, indoor game halls, meditation and Satsang classes, etc. (www.ashianahousing.com)

Griffith University Experiment

Griffith University of Australia is making an Innovative Experiment. They observed bringing seniors and children together under the same roof and in the same learning environment benefits both Elder and Children.

As an experiment, a new day-care center being built in a Melbourne aged care home, where they are going to create a learning system for both young and elderly together.

Elderly residents take part in arts and crafts, music, and reading along with kids under the shared-roof. Elderly residents will be able to sit in a lounge and watch kids playing. These intergenerational care programs are going to immensely benefit old people, as well as young kids as young, learn from old. This program develops a sense of belongingness and a positive attitude in the kids. Kids might participate in some assistance programs for elderly needy people.

Intergenerational Model of Care is going to be a New Innovation in Societal Care!! Can someone start Intergenerational Care in India? It is going to be a good impact project and a great business idea as well.

Your Well-wisher

Ravi Saripalle

Join Inspire to Innovate Storytelling Movement (i2itm.blogspot.com)

Source Inspiration:https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/7116770/herd-mentality-a-win-win-at-aged-care-preschool/