A home away from home

 

Age Ventures India (AVI) has been working with real estate developers and other social organisations, supporting them in setting up retirement homes as well as providing care and service to the elders.

One often relates old age and retirement with a sedentary lifestyle, giving up one’s own interests and only having familial responsibilities to look after. However, as times change, many are willing to treat these golden years of life as the time to be independent and socially connected within a safe environment, instead of battling isolation, social poverty and being dependent on their children.

“In old age, there are three categories. There is young-old (60-75 years), middle-old (75-85 years) and old-old (85-plus), where one typically needs support in day-to-day living due to various personal or medical reasons,” says Arun Gupta, managing trustee and chief executive, Age Ventures India (AVI), which has been working with real estate developers and other social organisations, supporting them in setting up retirement homes as well as providing care and service to the elders. After successfully running two such homes in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, new ones are set to come up in Gurugram, Kolkata and Jabalpur.

There’s also a new vertical — AVI Care Home — for elders needing assistance with activities of daily living, care for dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and post-surgery care for short to long term. There will also be a day care facility. Elaborating on the need for elderly day care, Gupta says, “It could get difficult for the elderly to stay with three different generations. Maybe their children are going to work, grandkids are at school; who will be there to take care of the aged then?” He states that these care homes — one such named Hibiscus-AVI Care Home in Gurugram — allows elders to spend time among people of their own age group and build new bonds rather than being lonely.

The facility in Gurugram has a medical room, physiotherapy room, wellness corner, a well-equipped kitchen, and a multi activity room. As per their website (www.ageventuresindia.org), there are three types of rooms — a fully-fitted high dependence care room, a semi-fitted flexible dependence/ normal care room, and suites as well. Residents can opt for single rooms, shared rooms or on double occupancy basis. Long-term care for a couple with normal medical care, physiotherapy, rent, meals, power, etc. costs roughly over a lakh a month, excluding taxes.