By Sharath Kumar | Care Manager, ElderAid Wellness Pvt Ltd
At ElderAid, all our customers are assigned a dedicated Care Manager who supports them with anything they may need. Generally, this involves helping run errands, picking up groceries, taking them to the hospital, and other day-to-day tasks. However, for many of our customers, their Care Manager becomes so much more- we promise to be the “proxy child.
Vimala Aunty is a long-time customer of ours, and I have been visiting her every week for years now. Her children live abroad, and for the most part, Vimala Aunty would spend her days alone. Vimala Aunty really enjoys my weekly visits, and eagerly looks forward to them. Over the years, I have developed a nice routine with Vimala Aunty.
While no one day for an ElderAid Care Manager looks the same, on the days I visit Vimala Aunty, I first go to the office and meet with my COO and colleagues for a morning meeting. We discuss customer acquisition and business development plans, as ElderAid Care Managers are brand ambassadors, and it is important that we are involved in Business Operations. The days I visit Vimala Aunty are a little light, as she is the only customer visit I have that day, so I spend a couple more hours until lunch coordinating caretaker placements and calling customers.
After lunch, I visit Vimala Aunty. She finishes her lunch by 1:30PM, and after a small nap, she is waiting to receive me by 3PM. When I reach her house, I first check her vitals, ensuring that everything is fine. Vimala Aunty is quite healthy, so it’s rare that I need to call a doctor to discuss irregular readings. After I’ve checked her vitals, Aunty recites a list of groceries she needs. I note down everything required. I let Aunty know roughly how much I think it will be, and she gives me cash for it. On the days she doesn’t have cash on her, I simply keep the store receipt and get it reimbursed from her children later. I go to the nearby store and procure all the groceries Aunty needs. Once I return to her house, I hand back any remaining change, and then help Aunty put all the groceries away neatly.
By the time we are done sorting the groceries, Aunty is ready for chai. She asks me to make the tea while she takes a seat at the dining table. Often, she also asks for maggi noodles as well. She insists I make two cups of tea and two portions of maggi, so that we can enjoy it together. While I prepare everything, Aunty tells me stories from her childhood, or stories about her children and grandchildren. I share my stories as well. We continue chatting over our maggi and chai, until eventually, it’s time for me to head back. Aunty is always sad to see me go, but I reassure multiple times that I will be back next week. Aunty loves our visits, and so do I. Chai and maggi with Aunty is one of the highlights of my week.
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Sharath Kumar | Care Manager at ElderAid Wellness
“At ElderAid, we see many seniors who live alone, far from their children and grandchildren. When caring for them, simply ensuring that they are physically healthy is not enough. It becomes important to spend time with them, talk with them, and build a relationship with them. We have found that when a senior is emotionally, mentally, and socially well, there are immense positive impacts on their physical health too. A happy senior is a healthy senior!”
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