Many people around the world leave their villages and hometowns to move to another city, state or sometimes even country, for the purpose of work. Some migrate with their entire families; however, some take the journey alone. Yogesh, a 33-year-old caregiver of person with Alzheimer’s at A1Snehanjali, is one such person who left his village to work full- time for the organization in Mumbai. Other employees like him, mostly men, have also moved to Mumbai from their respective villages for the work opportunity at A1Snehanjali. As a result, while the local employees mostly work in 12 hour shifts, employees like Yogesh stay at the centre 24/7, and work in shifts to care for the person with dementia at the time when other employees aren’t there. Living and working in the same place, A1Snehanjali is like Yogesh’s home and work-space at the same time, blurring the lines between the two.
While Yogesh is a full-time employee at A1Snehanjali, his work does not really feel like a ‘job’ to him. Rather, he feels as if he is just at home taking care of his own family members. Not only does he regard his person with dementia, the Residents, as his family, but he also finds such proximity with other staff members, who he considers to be his really good friends. Sharing such a bond with his fellow colleagues and residents is one of the reasons that Yogesh has continued to work at A1Snehanjali for almost 8 years now. His own family back in the village also support him in his job as they believe it to be ‘punya ka kaam’ or virtuous work. They are very proud of him. Thus, Yogesh continues to be invested in providing support to the person with dementia and realizes it to be a fulfilling duty.
Yogesh’s journey at A1Snehanjali began unexpectedly. He hadn’t thought of working here at all until his friend directed him to the Silver Innings organization. Yogesh was in search for work so he was asking around and looking for job openings. This is when one of his friends told him that there was an opening at Silver Innings, new assisted living elder care home ‘A1Snehanjali’. Yogesh came to the centre and has been working here ever since. Before coming to the centre, Yogesh didn’t know anything about Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, Elder care or caregiving work, but since he learned about it and got onto the job, he hasn’t looked back.
Over the years, one of the challenges Yogesh has faced is when a new resident arrives for the first time in the centre. They often take a lot of time to adjust to the new environment and it can be difficult for them to settle. However, the caregivers make the new resident feel safe and comforted, and so over time, the residents become accustomed to the environment. He and others at A1Snehanjali have learnt how touch, smile and love make all feel homely.
While caregiving work has a lot of ‘giving’ in the help that is provided by the caretakers to the person with dementia, Yogesh feels that it is also one of the few jobs that gives back to the caretaker. Everyday he learns something new, which keeps the experiences fresh and different everyday. This makes his job dynamic rather than monotonous, even after 8 years of working in the same place.
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Leo Buscaglia.
By Vansh Tibrewal
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