Covid19 Pandemic: A cue for amending the future of Senior Living in India

In India, the senior care services are still at the nascent stages but are forecasted to witness significant growth in the future as health concerns have increased lately, along with the brewing awareness regarding the state of the elderly during the Coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, amidst the distress and helplessness, one major issue that surfaced and caught massive attention was the particular difficulties the elderly faced, especially those living alone and in dire need of some assistance during the nationwide lockdown. 

Society bore witness to the huge social media charade of lending out a helping hand to the seniors of our country, with even some companies reshaping their efforts to keep pace with the changes. However, despite all the buzz, the noise that was left resounding in our ears, and the fact that we were forced to realize was the subpar standards and resources of quality living in our country for the elderly. 

The Major awakenings amidst Covid-19

There has been a big change in the mentality of people.  People who were not ready to accept old age homes and senior care services considering it as something shameful and immoral are now prioritizing the wellbeing of their ageing loved ones and are ready for change. The pandemic unfolded the issues associated with the absence of continued support and all-around assistance to the elderly, especially for families that are bound by tight schedules, longer distances and time restraints to deploy the kind of aid the elderly need.

Those living away from parents are actively looking for senior care services for the wellbeing of parents, which will eventually have a domino effect on the overall standard of services, its demands and the growth of availability of such resources. The senior living sector has also been affected, and it has shown much greater significance than before because the awareness and concern about health have been growing after the Covid-19 virus spread. 

The Vulnerability of senior citizens

The severity of Covid-19 increases with age, which puts the already vulnerable older people more so at the risk of developing something severe. With these observations emerged the questions, how adept is their environment to combat that, do they have required medical assistance in the form of a skilled staff that they need, how connected are they to a community that can lend help when they need it and if not so what all other measures are there to ensure their well being.  

As the senior citizens are more vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus, it was difficult for them to visit nearby stores and shopping complexes to fulfil their basic necessities. Cleanliness was also a major problem, as the Covid-19 guidelines required sanitation and cleanliness to a much greater extent, and the elderly people who were living alone lacked a helping hand. Most of the senior citizens are also unaware of the technology trends and were unable to avail the facilities of the digital platforms, be it online ordering of products or online medical consultations. 

Expectations for the future

The major changes that the future of senior care living awaits is a more awakened community, especially the youth who are ready to break the societal constraints to get their ageing loved ones the help they need. Whether it be in the form of more understanding of psychological and physical issues of the elderly or registration of the fact that the elderly need more attention than they can extend for the moment and thus making it necessary to seek trained at-home care or assisted living homes. However, besides these awakenings, families will be more aware and informed in their decisions in the options they seek and will choose senior care services that meet their expectations. It will be a slow process, but at least there will be some movement. 

Even for senior care service providers, there will be changes in the protocols they employ, the staff they hire, the amenities they provide, the quality of services, accountability and policies to ensure elderly wellbeing by spotting elderly abuse and neglect. Similarly, more people will seek out professionals to ease their search for the right care for the elderly. 

Conclusion

Senior Care Genie works alongside families to choose the right care for their ageing loved ones by providing the most suitable options and facilitating informed decisions. We also support them with the transitional difficulties, connect them to the skilled home attendant for elderly and improve the quality of elderly living by providing medical equipment that caters to them at one platform.  We are shaping a better future for the senior by positively impacting families and influencing senior care service providers.