Sailesh Mishra of Silver Innings Honored by Governor of Maharashtra

Governor of Maharashtra awards 35 inspiring innovators and entrepreneurs for outstanding contributions during COVID-19 pandemic 

Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari presented the Annual Impact Creator Awards 2021, to 35 innovators and entrepreneurs during an award ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on December 18, 2021.

Sailesh Mishra of Silver Innings being honored by Governor of Maharashtra 

The pandemic has tested the grit of humanity time and again. Despite the stature and strata, countless samaritans have gone above and beyond their line of duty to help their peers. Where the front-line workers such as the Doctors and Police have shown impeccable courage discharging their duties, start-ups, corporates and individuals have brought in innovation and impact. These real heroes have shone through their impeccable work.

Shweta Shalini, Official Spokesperson, BJP and Dr Abhay Jere, Chief Innovation Officer, Government of India, graced the occasion as guests of honour and encouraged the morale of the awardees.

The event was ably organized by Deepika Singh, Ex-CM Fellow with the help of Bhavesh Kothari, Director, Billennium Divas.

The event was digitally supported by Team SOS Nitelife. "It was a pleasure to serve the Governor's office in this impactful cause. Our team at SOS Nitelife were delighted to be amongst such dignitaries and impact creators" said Chand Seth, CMD, SOS Nitelife.

The list of awardees included notable names of industry stalwarts such as

1. BSE Ltd. - Ashish Kumar Chauhan

2. MPower Foundation - Neerja Birla

3. Nykaa - Falguni Nayar

4. Radhika Gupta of Edelweiss Mutual Fund

5. LXME represented by Priti Rathi Gupta

6. Capt. Raghu Raman of Remani Consultancy

7. Amisha Vora of Prabhudas Lilladher Pvt. Ltd.

8. Anas Rahman Junaid of Hurun India

9. Dr Akshay Batra of Dr Batras

10. Dr Radhakrishnan Pillai of Chanakya International Institute of Leadership Studies.

11. Kaya Clinic represented by Rajiv Nair

12. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) represented by Jane Karkada

13. Enrich Salon represented by Binoli Patel

The presence of the aforementioned mavericks was complemented by outstanding start-ups and entrepreneurs for their innovative solutions that have impacted millions during the pandemic encompassing areas such as financial inclusion, agritech, social impact, food supply and logistics, corporate governance and evangelists that have helped the state through technological interventions. They include:

1. Flipspaces - Kunal Sharma

2. Fasal - Shailendra Tiwari

3. Ranveer Allahbadia - The RanveerShow,

4. MahaKavach - Amit Kothawade and team

5. BMC COVID 19 War Room - Shubham Pareek and Janak Shah

6. United Way India - Jayanti Shukla

7. Portea - Smt. Meena Ganesh

8. QR 678 - Dr Debraj Shome and Dr Rinky Kapoor

9. Flextool Equipments - Purvang Shah

10. FIGGITAL.COM - Kamaljeet Singh Bhatia

11. Superpro AI - Gaurav Tripathi

12. Exampil - Dharmesh Ruparel

13. Sailesh Mishra - Silver Innings Group

14. CreditAI - Sangram Nayaka

15. Lean Meal Co - Mohak Bhingarkar and Jay Krishnanunny

16. Cloudphysician - Dhruv Joshi

17. Swasth Alliance- Ajay Nair

18. BodyCafe - Tanushree Ishani and Pooja Karegoudar

19. ASIMOV Robotics - Jayakrishnan T

20. Autovoltz Robotics - Yash Deshmukh

21. Kavitul Technologies - Yogesh Patel

The event was supported by partners such as QR678, FLIPSPACES, Good Earth Engineering Industries, Figgital.com, SOS Nitelife, Lean Meal Co, Hunk Golden, BodyCafe and arranged by Billennium Divas.

Read more At: 

https://www.aninews.in/news/business/business/governor-of-maharashtra-awards-35-inspiring-innovators-and-entrepreneurs-for-outstanding-contributions-during-covid-19-pandemic20211230155658/

#Silverinnings #PANDEMIC #CHANGEMAKER #CORONA #LOCKDOWN #MUMBAI #INDIA #SAILESHMISHRA #SENIORCITIZENS #SOCIALWORKER #GOVERNOR #MAHARASHTRA 

Don't raise age bar for concession, senior citizens urges railways

 The speculation gathered steam as previously it was decided not to bring the rail travel concession back after it was stopped during Covid.

A senior citizen group has written to the railway's ministry, requesting not to increase the cut-off age of senior citizens for travel concessions. Recently, there were reports that the government was considering increasing the cut-off age to 70 years for males and 65 years for females. The speculation gathered steam as previously it was decided not to bring the rail travel concession back after it was stopped during Covid.

The senior citizen group has said that the average life expectancy for males is less than 70 years as per 'SRS (sample registration system) Based Abridged Life Tables, 2015-19', which was recently released by the registrar general and census commissioner's office. As per the SRS report, the national average stood at 69.7 but for males, it was 68.4 while for females it was 71.1.

Prior to the pandemic, the cut-off age for the concession was 60 for men or transgender, and 58 for women. Concessions were given in all classes in the basic fare of mail and express trains; not to mention, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi and Duronto group of trains. The concession was 40 per cent for men or transgender and 50 per cent for women. The concessions were not admissible in passenger trains.

Silver Innings Group, an NGO working for issues of senior citizens, has asked Union minister of state for railways Raosaheb Danve to reconsider the decision. “We have written to the government to reconsider the issue based on the data received through RTI and SRS report. The standing committee has said that the concessions should be restored,” said Silver Linings Group founder president Sailesh Mishra.

As per RTI's reply to Mishra, the number of senior citizens, who availed concessions in the three-year period before the pandemic, is 11.11 crore in 2017-18, 12.02 crore in 2018-19 and 12.07 crore in 2019-20. In the same period, the revenue missed due to concessions stood at Rs 1,492 crore for 2017-18, Rs 1,636 crore for 2018-19 and Rs 1,667 crore for 2019-20.

Asserting that the decision to stop concession during the pandemic was reasonable as the railways were financially-hit, Mishra reasoned, “But, now things have opened up and trains have been restored to their original schedule. It is a huge loss for senior citizens in urban and rural areas as railways are the fastest and cheapest mode of transport for them.” If public employees and elected representatives can get relief in their travel, why should senior citizens not get any relief? Earlier, the age difference was five to seven years between husband and wife. If a male will not be able to travel, how will a female go? Because the cut-off excludes most males as per their age, people in rural areas will suffer more, Mishra underscored.

Sailesh Mishra from NGO working for the elderly said, "We have written to the government to reconsider the issue based on the data. If public employees and elected representatives can get relief in their travel, why should senior citizens not get any relief?

Post courtesy : https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-dont-raise-age-bar-for-concession-senior-citizens-urges-railways 

#Silverinnings #Seniorcitizens #Railways #India #Discount #Concession #Pandemic #Oldage #SaileshMishra 

Anvayaa organizes a Fire Side Chat on Dementia Care

 Anvayaa,  India’s first and only IoT and AI tech-based start-up platform providing Companionship and Care to the elders hosted a Fireside chat on World Alzheimer’s Day themed ‘Know Alzheimer’s Know Dementia – Post diagnosis support’.  The panel was attended by Dr. Sanjay R Kumawat, Director, Insight Mind Care Center, Thane, Consultant Psychiatrist, Mr. Sailesh Mishra, Founder, Silver Innings Group, Dr. Manish Chhabria, Consultant Neurology, Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital & Research Centre, and Mr. Prashanth Reddy, Founder, and Managing Director, Anvayaa Kin-Care Pvt Ltd along with other guests and senior citizens. The chat focused on an insightful discussion on challenges faced by caregivers and family in diagnosis and post-diagnosis care for elders with Dementia and the supportive eco-system required for effective management of such elders.

‘Dementia’ is generally considered a part of aging; however, it does not occur naturally. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common factor causing Dementia. As per the DementiaInIndia   & #LASI Wave-I report, around 5.3 Million Indians were affected by #Dementia in 2020. This number is likely to go up to a staggering 14 Million by the year 2050. Besides the diagnosis, post-diagnosis care, caregiver burnout, unique treatment plan, and unique challenges in taking care of elders with dementia. A personalized treatment plan enabling regular monitoring and tracking of the elderly is necessary because it manifests differently in different people and across the stages of progression. As the condition of the elderly worsens without adequate care and professional support, the whole family is bound to suffer great stress and pain.

Anvayaa’s one-of-a-kind #DementiaCarePlans are designed to reduce caregiver fatigue and the frustration the family goes through. Anvayaa has repeatedly shown that despite the lack of a cure for dementia, there is still a great deal that is possible to help people with dementia.  In comparison with other conditions faced by seniors, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia have very different symptoms and results. The pathogenesis of dementia is a progressive decline in cognitive function (memory, reasoning, decision-making, judgment, etc.), ultimately affecting bodily function. Dementia affects every aspect of a senior’s life, making specialized and personalized care even more essential. Although every case of dementia is unique, here are some things that may happen to a senior with these conditions’ general loss of memory, language, and decision-making abilities, dementia can cause other symptoms. These include changes in mood, such as increased irritability, depression, and anxiety. This requires compassionate and specialized training of caregivers to deal with the elderly. Early detection and diagnosis of Dementia can greatly help in slowing down the rate of deterioration and immensely helps in providing a much better quality of life for our beloved elders and their families.

According to Mr. Prashanth Reddy, Founder and Managing Director of Anvayaa Kin-Care Pvt Ltd, said, “We are happy to associate with Silver Innings, Dr. Sanjay R Kumawat, Clinical Psychiatrist, and Dr. Manish Chhabria, Consultant Neurology to host this fireside chat to spread awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day.  Our aim is to identify the critical challenges faced during post-diagnosis care of people with dementia. We have also developed ‘AI Enabled at Home Anvayaa’s Dementia Care Plan’ for compassionate care through a team of specially trained ‘Care Specialists’ who are guided by a team of qualified clinicians to provide customized support to persons with dementia and help the families to prevent burnout. The enlightening session today, will help Anvayaa further improve the services and help elders live a dignified life.  We firmly believe that although Alzheimer’s cannot be reversed, however with strategic interventions along with the trust and support of the elders and their families we can definitely help to delay the progress. We have already been able to positively improve the quality of life of persons with dementia in the last few months and hope to continuously improve our services and help more elders with dementia.”

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Sailesh Mishra, Founder, Silver Innings Group “It is a pleasure to associate with Anvayaa Kin Care and Dr. Sanjay R Kumawat for this necessary dialogue. As the world is progressing Dementia & Alzheimer’s are turning into a new Pandemics , and if India does not wake up then it will be difficult to handle. These diseases not only affect people with Dementia but also is a social, economic, and psychological burden on millions of families and caregivers.

Adding to this Dr. Sanjay R Kumawat, Director, Consultant Psychiatrist, Insight Mind Care Center said, “It is high time that we sensitize the community about Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia. These conditions are difficult to identify and diagnose. The post-diagnosis care is even more challenging both for the patient and the family. With the present lifestyle, it is time to be prepared for caring and understanding the patient with dementia. We should also make efforts to avoid the disease by adopting a healthy lifestyle. I would like to thank the entire team of Anvayaa to come forward and organize such an enlightening discussion on Dementia Care.”

Anvayaa has extensively grown and presently serves different services such as companionship, caretakers, tech instruction for elders, visiting temples or malls-assisting the elderly with shopping and other errands through our care managers. With technology-driven initiatives, Anvayaa guarantees senior residents with services including crisis care and social commitment. Over the past 6 years, Anvayaa has handled 350+ medical emergencies and provided immediate logistic support to the elderly to get access to healthcare in time as a result of which Anvayaa was able to save 97% of lives.

#Silverinnings #SaileshMishra #SeniorCitizens #Dementia #Dementiacare #Mumbai 

Remember Me Podcast: Empathy with Seniors बुजुर्ग से हमदर्दी

Listen to interesting perspective of  Sailesh Mishra - fonder of Silver Innings in this short soulful podcast on World Elders Day ( International Day of Older Persons) 1st October 2022. 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7INyUqPk6dzy6tPbxHyz4l?si=vIEc45OuRYW6piShh6nPrA

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7INyUqPk6dzy6tPbxHyz4l?si=vIEc45OuRYW6piShh6nPrA 

Soulful Talk of Sailesh Mishra, Silver Innings by RJ  RICHA ANIRUDH, Credit and copyright : Big Heroes 92.7 Big FM Delhi. This podcast is for educational and non commercial purpose only. 

To subscribe this podcast click here:  https://open.spotify.com/show/1dhTVUIZJk88jTOLrXPbqm?si=d79c9fb7503b46e4

#podcast #SeniorCitizens #Eldercare #Elders #WED #World #IDOP #oldage #olderadults #India #seniors #seniorliving #empathy #Family #Relationship #saileshmishra #spotify 

Remember Me Podcast: Rail no Way to Seniors - RTI

Indian railways have discontinued concession for Senior Citizens since 20th March 2020, let's get insight and our demand and RTI Reply

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4bBVGq7DBFq2VhaPEu2ZXt?si=0XDm1v1NTmSS0KSbvx0-ww

Episode 3: Rail no Way to Seniors - RTI

'Remember Me' Podcast: Why I started my Podcast

Dear Friends, I have started my #Podcast #RememberME - My Soulful Thoughts on Life, Journey and Human Habitat .

This episode is about: Conversations are key to human development, we need to talk, listen to enrich ourselves

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4XSfuEnvNdcFYs6FCDj89J?si=c8a365b70d774248

Listen Here: 

Episode 2: Why I started my Podcast

JAC of Senior Citizens Demands for BMC Elections 2022

 Joint Action Committee (JAC) Press Conference was held on 8th June 2022 at Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, Mumbai.

Silver Shakti!!!!!!!!

To make the 'Silver Voices' heard loud and clear and to make the 'Silver Presence' in society graceful and dignified; we have formed the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of various Organizations, NGOs working for Senior Citizens, researchers and academicians dedicated to the cause of elderly in Mumbai.  The Committee will strive to work with the BMC and various Political Parties to mainstream the special needs and demands of senior citizens.  We demand all Political parties to include issues of Senior Citizens in their Election Manifesto, as they are not only an important vote bank but also the important stakeholders with an estimated 25% of the Voting Population. If the Political Parties and Leaders fail to meet our Demands, we as the Powerful Vote bank will be forced to use NOTA in the upcoming BMC Elections.

A report released by the Ministry of Statistics, GOI in March 2019 said that the number of citizens over the age of 60 jumped by 35.5 per cent — from 7.6 crore in 2001 to 10.3 crore in 2011. In the upcoming elections, this population will be a major factor in deciding who comes to power. In Maharashtra, Senior citizens form around 10% of state population, which comes to an estimated 1.30 crore of Maharashtra’s and in Mumbai itself constitutes approximately 15 lakhs. 

The right to vote is the foundation of any democracy. The vote represents the voice of people and is therefore a powerful tool to exercise to bring about a change in their city and their country as a whole. Senior Citizen are Committed Voters and understand the importance of voting and engage in the process to become egalitarianism warriors in their own communities. Issues such as health care, medical facilities, prices of medicines, pensions, Shelter, retirement schemes and transportation, special attention for poor and homeless, will be upper most in the minds of the older people. To make sure that their needs are met and concerns are heard is the very need of the hour. 

Based on constitutional and legal provisions, Government of India and Maharashtra state government has formulated various policies and devised various programmes for the elders including National Policy for the Older Persons 1999 and Maharashtra Senior Citizens Policy 2013 and subsequently in 2018. However, these have remained only on Paper. After advocacy and constant struggle by Senior Citizens Originations from 2010 to 2013, The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on 5th August 2013 through its Resolution no. 622 cleared the Senior Citizens Policy in its general body meeting, which is first such policy by any Municipal Corporation in the country. This policy, which includes the provision of day care facilities and recreation grounds for them in every municipal ward as also medical helpline services and amenities in open spaces, was announced on 2013.  Further benefits included in the policy are, dedicated spaces for senior citizens in large housing complexes, library with books on spirituality and health, and ramps, railings at public toilets. Senior citizens would also be provided specialized healthcare at select civic hospitals for hypertension, diabetes, loss of vision and other ailments.  For the first phase of implementation, BMC had agreed to form a committee headed by the then Mayor Sunil Prabhu.

But it is with great regret and disappointment we note that a pittance of the expected work has been done by BMC after announcement of this Policy. A few Day care facilities and a few Nana Nani parks have been set up only at the whims and fancies of the Councilors. To make it worse there is no Budgetary provision has been made for the implementation of the Policy. It is shameful to state that an RTI filed for details of expenditure has received no response.

Based on the recommendations of the United Nations to which India is a signatory and the policies for senior citizens to which Central and State Governments have committed, the JAC demands the following:

                            I Finance and Planning  

a) Make a definite budgetary provision for the welfare and security of elders in the Senior Citizens policy, allocate 10% of BMC budget to Senior Citizens Policy 

b) Raise CSR funds for effective Implementation of initiatives for elders 

c) Corporators need to spend minimum 10% of their allocated funds for the welfare of Senior Citizens 

d) Form ‘Senior Citizens Policy Committee’ at HQ as well as at all the 24 administrative wards for Planning and Implementation. Senior Citizens Policy Committee’ to meet regularly for monitoring and evaluating implementation and progress of initiatives.  

e) Permanent Office for ‘BMC Senior Citizens Bhavan’ at a central, convenient accessible location.

f) Appointment of a Nodal Officer at the rank of Joint Commissioner/ Deputy Commissioner to monitor the progress of the implementation of the policies and programmes as well as to address the grievances of the senior citizens

g) The Community Development Officer (C.D.O.) / Social Worker at BMC to work on Seniors program, projects awareness, planning, implementation 

II Health Care and Nutrition - Health care should be affordable and accessible to all senior citizens 

a) Free medical treatment for all senior citizens at all Government Hospitals and Primary Health Center 

b) Establishment of a Geriatric ward at every Government hospital. Appoint Geriatric Expert / Doctors in all BMC hospitals

c) 'Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana' to be implemented at all hospitals and specially for Elders with no documents and homeless

d) Free / Subsidized Medicines / Generic Medicine to be made available

e) Reserve 10% bed for Geriatric population in private hospitals / nursing homes

f) Introduce the WHO Recommended Adult Vaccination Programme. Priority to senior citizens in all Vaccinations and Health Care initiatives

g) OPD special section / desk for Seniors / Display of Notice board at every hospitals of available facilities for Seniors  

h) Free / Subsidized Diagnosis at Government hospitals and clinics

i) MMC (Mobile Medical Clinic) for elders living in poor communities and elders below BPL

j) Wellness and Prevention program like Yoga, Alternative Therapies, AYUSH, Health camps for Seniors

k) Mental Health Screening in collaboration with BMC Hospitals 

l) MID Day Meal to be extended to poor seniors. To initiate GOI POSHAN Abhiyaan / Shiv Bhojan like scheme 

III   Shelter and Welfare: 

a) Multipurpose Senior Citizens Full Day Care Centre

b) Dementia Day Care Centre 

c) Respite Stay Centre

d) Homeless Elders Night Shelter

e) Policy for protection of Senior citizens during natural and manmade disasters  

f) Specific spaces and facilities to be reserved in Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR), SRA and MHADA for Senior Citizens - Day Care Centres

                   IV    Protection of life and property of Senior Citizens

a) Legal Aid Cell to work on issues and problems faced by the elders

b) Special concession in Water and Property tax for Old Age Homes and Seniors Day Care Centers 

c) Provision to establish BMC Retired person's special cell  

d) Involve NSS and Civil Defense officers and volunteers for Safety and Security of Seniors

e) Special Call Center for Senior Citizens issues  

V Accessibility, transport and Age friendly environment

a) Application of WHO Global Age-friendly Cities Guidelines to city planning

b) Accessible, affordable and safe public transport

c) Age-friendly driving conditions and parking facilities

d) Age-friendly buildings, pavements and walkways, safe pedestrian crossings and adequate rest areas

e) Affordable, well-designed and safe housing 

f) Auto, Taxi, Water Transport to be sensitize towards Seniors

g) Special Concession and Travel arrangement for Senior Citizens in BMC Buses 

h) Age Friendly, Accessible Public Washroom and Sanitation 

VI Capacity Building and Visibility

a) Training of Caregivers, Para Professionals, Medical professionals  

b) Mandatory Celebration of Days of Senior Citizens : 15th June World Elder Abuse Awareness Day; 21st September World Alzheimer's Day  and 1st October World Elders Day  

c) Training and Sensitization of Senior Citizens Associations towards formation, management, of Trust / Society and various program and schemes of BMC

d) To give visibility to BMC Senior Citizens program and projects through Print, Audio Visual and social media 

e) To strengthen research and documentation in social gerontology

We the Senior Citizens of this City, State and Country are Responsible Citizens; we have wisdom, experience and time, we are asset to the Society, we are always willing to help government and authorities for welfare of society at large, we need Independence, Freedom, Security and Dignity; we can’t be ignored or neglected any more. We expect that we will see the importance of senior citizens and their demands in the election manifesto of your party and your candidates.

JAC Spokespersons for Coordination:

Dr. Rekha Bhatkhande  - Spokespersons

Vijay Aundhe - Spokespersons 

Prakash Borgaonkar - Spokespersons 

Adv. Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar - Spokesperson

Sailesh Mishra - Coordinator

LIST OF JAC MEMBERS:

1. Adhata Trust

2. All India Bank Retirees Federation  

3. All India Central Government Pensioners Association

4. All India Retired Insurance Employees Federation

5. All India Retired Reserve Bank Employee Association

6. Brihan Mumbai Pensioners Association 

7. Brihan Mumbai Retired Employees Association

8. Center for Life Long Learning , TISS

9. Centre for the Study of Social Change (RRTC Mumbai) 

10. College of Social Work ( Autonomous) Nirmala Niketan

11. Dignity Foundation 

12. Dilasa Kendra of Shushrusha Citizens Cooperative Hospital, Mumbai

13. FESCOM  

14. General Insurance Pensioners, All India Federation  

15. GIC Pensioners Association 

16. Help Age India 

17. Indian Association of Retired persons (IARP) Mumbai 

18. Money Life Foundation

19. MTNL Pensioners Workers Associations

20. Silver Inning Foundation 

21. Sophia College (AUTONOMOUS)

22. The Family Welfare Agency 

Humans of Dementia - Ajay

 Ajay became a part of A1Snehanjali in 2013 when he was seeking employment while working as a farmer. Ajay is 25 years old and currently works as a caregiver for people with Alzheimer’s disease. He spends his days taking care of them and tending to the needs of the residents. 

Ajay has been a part of the organisation since the project was initiated in August 2013. After he started working at A1Snehanjali, he learnt about Alzheimer’s and he decided he wanted to help the people who have become the victims of such a “nirdaye” (cruel) disease. “Everyone should live a good life,” he said. “Just because they cannot eat or relieve themselves independently, it does not mean we will take away their right to live a good life.”

As a caregiver, Ajay’s job entails waking up the residents, giving them a bath, giving them their medicines, feeding them their breakfast, taking them for a walk, engaging them in group activities, changing their diapers, preparing their lunch and then taking them for a nap. He manages all their grooming activities like helping them brush their teeth, changing their clothes and trimming their nails.

Ajay shared the story of one of the initial days of his job as a caretaker. At that time, there used to be only one resident in the organisation who had a habit of wandering off. Ajay used to stay by his side all the time and follow him around. Spending all his time talking, playing and taking care of that one resident made him so attached to him that Ajay started considering him as his own family member. When asked about the challenges he faces during this job as a caregiver, Ajay laughed and replied, “It’s their anger and their violent hits.” In situations like these, he waits for a few minutes for them to calm down and then tries again.

Despite this job being physically exhausting and mentally draining, the emotional attachment that each resident has with Ajay makes this job worthwhile for him. He “feels good” even after being tired. There have been numerous days throughout the years where Ajay wants to take a leave. When the residents get to know about this news, they get anxious about how they would be spending their day without Ajay, or who would look after them and listen to them talk. And the day Ajay returns to them, they immediately become happy. Ajay says that all this love and little acts of caring they have for him touches his heart and makes him want to work harder for them.

There is one thing that, he feels, many people do not know about Alzheimer’s and dementia disease― the importance of taking care of people who are diagnosed with the condition. Many people give up on them after the diagnosis because they find looking after them to be very tiresome and taxing. Ajay strongly believes that people should not ignore the needs― physical, mental and emotional― of these people. He also thinks that as a caregiver, it is necessary to know how to handle the resident, how to calm them down and understand them and also efficiently manage their sanitation and grooming.

Whenever someone learns that he is working as a caregiver and taking care of people with Alzheimer’s, they greatly appreciate him. He promises to work for and help these people till the day he can and also hopes others would follow his lead and help these people in all the ways they can.

Ajay strongly believes "Those with dementia are still people and they still have stories and they still have character and they're all individuals and they're all unique. And they just need to be interacted with on a human level." - Carey Mulligan.

By Vansh Tibrewal

Visit Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HumansofDementia 

Instagarm Page: https://www.instagram.com/sihumansofdementia/

#Silverinnings #HumansofDementia #dementia #Alzheimer #humanity #HumanityFirst #love #family #Instagram #A1Snehanjali #Relationship #Caregiver #Caregiving #Humans #Humanity #Caregiving #CarePartners #Touch #care #Smile 

Unsung Heroes of Covid Pandemic by Hira Mehta

While we were always talking about how to tackle climate change and pollution and grumbling about no time to spend with family, God just decided he had enough. He decided to step in and here we are. A deadly virus locked down the world and disrupted our lives in such a way that it will probably take us years and years to recover from it.  Economy, livelihood and the very freedom of living life was snatched from us and we lost loved ones in 2020 and 2021. No one was ever prepared for this onslaught. With this came a pandemic of human sufferings.  Thousands of families, including daily wage earners, senior citizens, widows, transgenders, migrant workers, old age homes and orphanages residents, etc, were impacted. But then when we face a situation with helpless times of distress, we not only find ourselves, but humanity comes alive and we actually became truly 'human' with small act of kindness. In this very frightening environment, there emerged #CovidHeroes who stepped out of their comfort zones to help others without worrying about their own safety.  One such Unsung Heroes of Covid Pandemic is Sailesh Mishra of Silver Innings. 

People found new strengths and qualities, they never knew they possessed and the deadliest virus that took lives also gave back our lives to live anew. In a long time people stopped to smell the flowers, as they say. However, in all the good, there is something we seemed to have side stepped. The importance of the impact the virus had on seniors, which cannot be understated. It is at this stage, that most seniors actually required more care and support but sadly, it did not happen. It has affected their psychology, physical strength, behavioral patterns and they have become quite unstable and unsure of themselves.

Impact on Seniors

The COVID-19 pandemic caused untold fear and suffering for seniors across the world. As the virus spread rapidly to developing countries, the death rate for seniors also rose rapidly. Health care was denied for conditions unrelated to COVID-19 as the case rose. Seniors, especially those with medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer became more likely to contract the virus. Neglect and abuse in elder care facilities impacted their well-being and mental health. 

The first wave of #Covid came suddenly and with the hasty lockdown and no proper guidelines, it was all was trial and error. When a national lockdown was declared, the citizens, especially senior citizens who were already suffering with other illness or co-morbidity were asked to stay at home and not step out. Daily walks, exercise routines, access to doctor, health care, medicine, food, recreation, caregivers, housekeeping was suddenly stopped. The pandemic impacted the health of seniors living on their own, that of seniors whose children were settled abroad and even of those living with their families in different ways. Misinformation and negative news added to the panic. To add to this, was the uncertainty and fear that they might not be fit enough to travel or perhaps never be able to travel abroad or within the country, to see their children in the near future. As time passed, restriction in movement, communication problems and social distancing lead to social isolation, not just with seniors, but every member of the family. Children, who were used to their space began to feel suffocated working from home and it impacted their interaction with their parents too. Everyone was head down into mobiles or laptops and even talking to seniors about  their daily routine went missing. With no entertainment or physical interaction, the atmosphere at home was affected and in some cases finances, work pressures and stress in the family became issues.  

The good part was that many organisations started virtual socializing and online events to keep seniors from being completely isolated while in lockdown. Some taught them skills like handling finance, making video calls while some created on-line contests. This helped a great deal in lessening the feeling of isolation and disconnect. However, living in urban India, most of us tend to forget about those seniors living in rural India, who have also been affected by the pandemic and social distancing norms. Workers have migrated back to their home towns and this has led to an increased risk of exposure to the virus among rural communities. There is lack of awareness, low levels of nutrition, ill-equipped and insufficient public health centers too. Worst was the impact on women of all ages trapped at home with abusive husbands and their drinking problems.   

But where there are problems, there are also people who find the solutions.  #CovidHeroes, such as Actor, Sonu Sood helped migrant workers of all ages, to reach homes and even arranged foods and shelters for those stuck in the lockdown. Closer to home is my friend and inspiration, Sailesh Mishra, Founder, Silver Innings, who has been tirelessly helping seniors living alone at home and seniors at his own resident's home, since the first wave of the virus struck. Another friend, Dipesh Tank, a Mumbai-based anti-trafficking activist, distributed reflectors to stick on the backs of migrants to ensure their safety as they walked home on the highways. How can we even forget those unsung #CovidHeroes who went out of the way to help seniors and others, find oxygen cylinders, hospital beds and provided them medicines, provisions, etc? These heroes restored our faith in humanity each day during the darkest hours of the pandemic, despite the several challenges faced.

Challenges faced by seniors 

Sailesh Mishra adds ‘Seniors are socially vulnerable and the lockdown brought with it a whole lot of other problems, such as insomnia, depression and those not directly related to the pandemic. Some of the notable challenges’ :

 Efforts to protect the mental and physical health of seniors as also that of health workers, caregivers, volunteers and community leaders became difficult. Mental health took back seat. 

 Everything was sudden and unsystematic with no proper protocol or guidelines. There was a complete lack of coordination between different authorities from the Police to Municipality to Medical health workers, Health care professionals and so on.

 With no public transport and restriction on movement, the caregivers and care partners could not attend to seniors. No one was available for home care. 

 Caregivers, medical professionals and nurses were unable to attend to the seniors as housing societies refused entry. Societies acted tough and did not allow people to visit, or home deliver grocery, medicine, food etc.

 Seniors who spent evenings on the garden bench with their peers felt disconnected and at a loss.

 Family members with person with Dementia and disability at their home faced  challenging times. 

 Physiological changes that come with ageing and other health conditions spiraled and reports of increase in Elder Abuse began to do the rounds.

 Single  and seniors living on their own suffered most especially as they  faced challenges to use Digital media.

 In rural India, the non-availability of transport, medical aid, food, absence of family members and even loss of employment and ignorance and myths around the pandemic and its transmission, affected the mental health of the seniors in remote parts of the country.

 Misinformation, co morbidity, shortage and accessibility of the vaccination drive took time to get resolved, but by then many had already suffered at the hands of the virus.   

Way Forward Learnings as suggested by Sailesh Mishra Team Silver Innings 

 Social distancing should  not result in social disengagement, in any way

 Create disaster management plans for times like the pandemic, especially for seniors with special focus on food, clothing, shelter, health care, recreation, livelihood, security and rehabilitation with dignity 

 Make old age care as ‘Essential Services’ in the manifesto

 Create a national single point contact center for seniors with a mental care helpline and outbound calls to understand their needs and well-being. 

 Identify, understand and resolve the challenges currently faced by seniors, not just in urban areas but in rural areas of the country too.

 Involve NGO’s, educational institutes, relevant authorities, etc. and create a university course on old age care with special SOP for Dementia and mental health.  

 Involve local communities and societies to take care of seniors in their areas. 

Youth with new technology and seniors with their experience, need to work together to create a better inclusive environment for all. Protecting senior citizens rights will help them to lead dignified, secure lives, as equal members of society will enable them to be treated with respect on an equal basis with younger people. Providing care and comfort to enable them lead a healthy life without worries and anxiety is their right. Ageing cannot be prevented and everyone grows old. We do not need another pandemic to teach us how to deal with the well being of our seniors.