Family Support for Older People

 Family systems are the foundation of our society. A family system consists of various individuals who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption. Family systems vary from culture to culture, but their importance remains the same. The role of family in caring for older people has become increasingly important due to demographic changes and the growing aging population. This essay explores the family system and how it can help our older people.

PICTURE: https://sanalake.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Family-Roles-in-Addiction-Treatment-.jpg

The family system refers to the various roles, relationships, and interactions that exist between members of a family. Family systems are important as they provide a sense of belonging, emotional support, and security. They also serve as a source of socialization, education, and values transmission. Family systems can have a significant impact on the physical, mental, and emotional health of their members.

The Importance of Older People 

Older people are an essential part of our society. They have contributed to our communities, economy, and culture throughout their lives. However, as they age, they may experience physical, mental, and emotional challenges. These challenges can lead to social isolation, loneliness, and poor health outcomes. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that older people have access to the care, support, and resources they need to age with dignity and respect.

Family System and Older People

The family system can play a vital role in supporting older people. Family members can provide emotional support, practical assistance, and social interaction that can improve the quality of life for older people. Family systems can also help older people maintain their independence, dignity, and sense of self-worth.

Emotional Support

Emotional support is essential for older people as they age. Family members can provide emotional support by being there to listen, provide encouragement, and offer reassurance. This emotional support can help older people cope with the challenges of aging, such as chronic illness, loss of mobility, and social isolation.

Practical Assistance

Older people may need practical assistance with daily activities such as cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Family members can provide this assistance, which can help older people maintain their independence and quality of life. Practical assistance can also prevent older people from having to move into residential care or assisted living facilities, which can be expensive and may not provide the same level of comfort and support as the family home.

Social Interaction

Social interaction is vital for older people as it can help prevent social isolation and loneliness. Family members can provide social interaction by visiting, taking older people out, and involving them in family activities. Social interaction can improve the mental and emotional health of older people and reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.

Maintaining Independence

Maintaining independence is essential for older people as it can help them maintain their sense of self-worth and dignity. Family members can help older people maintain their independence by providing practical assistance, emotional support, and social interaction. This support can help older people stay in their homes for longer, which can have a significant impact on their quality of life.

Challenges in Family System Support

While the family system can provide significant support for older people, there are also challenges that need to be addressed. These challenges include:

Family Conflicts

Family conflicts can arise due to differences in opinions, expectations, and values. These conflicts can make it difficult to provide effective support for older people, and may even lead to neglect or abuse. It is essential to address family conflicts and find ways to resolve them to ensure that older people receive the support they need.

Caregiver Burnout

Family members who provide care for older people may experience caregiver burnout. This burnout can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression, which can impact the quality of care provided. It is essential to provide support and resources to family caregivers to prevent burnout and ensure that older people receive required care and love. 

Financial Strain

Providing support for older people can be expensive, especially if they have significant health or mobility issues. Family members may need to provide financial assistance, which can strain their own finances. It is essential to plan for the financial costs of supporting older family members to ensure that everyone is prepared for the financial strain.

Distance

Family members may live far away from each other, making it challenging to provide support for older family members. Distance can limit the amount of practical assistance and social interaction that family members can provide. It is essential to find ways to overcome the distance barrier, such as through regular phone or video calls, or by arranging visits when possible.

Limited Resources

Some families may not have the resources to provide adequate support for older family members. This may be due to financial constraints, health issues, or other challenges. It is essential to identify available resources and support services that can help families provide the necessary support for older family members.

Conclusion

In conclusion, family systems can play a vital role in supporting older people. Emotional support, practical assistance, social interaction, and maintaining independence are all crucial elements of the support that family members can provide. However, there are also challenges that need to be addressed, such as family conflicts, caregiver burnout, financial strain, distance, and limited resources. It is essential to find ways to overcome these challenges and provide the necessary support to ensure that older people age with dignity and respect. The family system remains an essential component of our society, and we must continue to value and support it in caring for our aging population.

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 

Humans of Dementia - Ganesh

 Ganesh is a 24-year-old full-time caregiver at A1Snehanjali. He is from Adivasis community (indigenous peoples of India) from small village near Vikramgad, Palghar District. His journey as a caregiver to person with Dementia (called as residents) began when he was looking for a job after completion of his class 12th education in village. He was introduced to Silver Innings assisted living elder care home ‘A1Snehanjali’ at Rajodi, Virar and decided to take up caregiving as his full-time job alongside continuing his education with encouragement and support of compassionate management.    

As a caregiver, his job entails of several tasks such as making the Residents eat food, giving them a bath, conducting prayer time, and making them go to bed at night. Every day, the residents also have scheduled recreation and mental stimulation activity time where Ganesh and other staff members facilitate activities like playing games, music, dance, art & craft, walk etc

Before coming to the centre, Ganesh didn’t know anything about Alzheimer’s disease or A1Snehanjali’s work. When he came here and learnt about the disease for the first time, he was shocked - “Aisa kaise? Aisa hota hai?” (How is this possible? This happens?) Slowly, he learnt more about Alzheimer’s, the needs and challenges of its person and how care can be given to them to make their life experience smoother. Since then, he has been working for A1Snehanjali, taking care of residents at the centre. 

As a 24-year old, he is one of the youngest staff members at the organisation. Working in a place where the other staff members are older than you can sound like a barrier in making friends at work, however, Ganesh didn’t seem to face that challenge. Rather, he believes that he found his co- staff members to be more than friends - he found a family in them. This is because the staff and management helps each other out and treats each other with respect, which makes it a peaceful work environment. 

Whilst working full-time, Ganesh also managed to study side-by-side, and recently he completed his Graduation BA with 93%. One would assume that balancing both is a challenge, and the job would be adding to Ganesh’s stress. However, it is surprising yet pleasing to know that he doesn’t find his job stressful nor does he find it tedious. Instead, he feels that the job brings him happiness and joy. It relieves his stress and gives him the satisfaction of having done good in society. Everyone at A1Snehanjali is helpful and supportive of each other as well as the residents, and so he feels like he belongs there. 

Being a young man working at a centre that takes care of Dementia / Alzheimer’s person – mental health issues, one would think that his family would have some reservations, perhaps the typical expectation of getting a corporate job. But, Ganesh’s family doesn’t seem to think that way. On the contrary, Ganesh’s family gives him blessings because he is helping people, helping Elders, doing good and virtuous work. It is a form of seva and his family is proud of him for doing it. 

Ganesh is an example and inspiration to youth of India, which thinks differently, being progressive, and committed to humanity!  

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 

UMANG 2017 Senior Citizens Talent Show Mumbai

We are back again with our Mega Senior Citizens Talent Show UMANG 2017.

"Ageing is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength".

Rotary Club of Mumbai Nariman Point, Rotaract Club of Rizvi  Law College, Inner Wheel Club  and Silver Inning Foundation once again organizes UMANG - A Unique Stage Talent Show program for  55+ Senior Citizens. UMANG Talent show of Senior Citizens was started by Silver Inning Foundation in year 2008.

India’s largest and Mumbai’s first of its kind programme for 55+ Senior Citizens gives the elderly an opportunity to show their talent. The programme seeks to provide them with a platform to display their talents. This is not a competition – there are no prizes for being the best – but it is a forum to encourage them to demonstrate their hidden talent.

Last year in 2016 around 125 participant from 50 years of age to 79years participated in the event to show their unique stage talent. 1000 plus people out of which 90% were Senior Citizens attended the event to witness the Silver Magic. Refreshment and ‘Senior Citizens Safety Tip’ was given to all those who attended the event.

Venue: Birla Matoshree Sabhagriha, No. 19, Vithaldas Thackersy Marg,, New Marine Lines, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400020

Event Date:  Sat 25th March 2017

Time of Event: 9.30am to 12.30 pm.


Networking Partners: FESCOM Mumbai; HelpAge India; 1298 Senior Citizens Helpline; A1 Snehanjali; Sneh Kala Kendra; Palliative Care Dept., Bhaktivedanta Hospital; PHOTOMIST; PrideAge; OYA, EldersCamp, JAMM’s, Adhata Trust, The Family Welfare Agency and Neha’s Nutrifit


 Email: silverinnings@gmail.com
Website: http://www.silverinnings.in/

Review: ASTU - Forget Me Not

Movie Review: Astu – So Be It 

By Ravi Shet

Rating: 4 out of 5

#Astu is a must-watch for its realistic portrayal of #Alzheimer's disease and suffering the illness causes to the person and their family.

Today 20th July 2016, was wonderful day, being youngest person with 127 Senior Citizens, watching heart warming movie ASTU, at special show arranged by Silver Innings, a Social Enterprise working with Elders at INOX, Dahisar, Movie.    

This film revolves around retired professor and Sanskrit scholar, Dr. Chakrapani Shastri (Mohan Agashe) also called as Appa who is moving towards advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Once respected by people for his deep knowledge on Vedas, now Appa struggles to remember anything, including the names of his own family members.

Appa goes missing when his daughter Ira (Iravati Harshe) leaves alone him in car for a few minutes. By seeing an elephant passing by, Appa gets out of the car and starts moving with the elephant like an innocent child. From this moment, the film gets nicely divided into two phases wherein daughter and her husband, Dr. Madhav (Milind Soman) are running from police station to Appa’s institution where he had worked and other places in his search. The other phase of the film runs us through flashback consisting of string of memories which showcases range of emotions revolving around Appa’s health. Anta (Nachiket Purnapatre), owner of elephant and his wife Channama (Amruta Subhash) shower Appa with unconditional love and kindness.

Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhtankar have done an excellent job in portraying the sufferings of those with Alzheimer’s disease and their families approach towards it.  The use of flashback in the film has been used in an intelligent way which goes very well with the flow of the story. The concept of this film is to build awareness about the Alzheimer’s disease and it does very well by being sensitive and at the same time it takes care not to be overemotional by showing devastated and chest beating moments. Each character of this film has been crafted very well by the directors and they have extracted flawless performances from everyone. There are many scenes in the film which will move the audiences. The only flaw of this film is that it tends to bit dragged towards the end.

Mohan Agashe portrays his role with ease and delivers sparklingly good performance right from showing the signs of Alzheimer’s disease and his overall body language. Amruta Subhash and Iravati Harshe do impress the audiences with their excellent performances. The camerawork by Milind Jog is like icing on the cake for this film. To conclude, it is a must-watch film for its realistic portrayal of Alzheimer's disease that captures an old man’s gradual loss of his mental ability and family’s suffering through this journey.

Ravi Shet is the Co-founder of www.treatum.com, an online healthcare portal connecting patients with right doctors. His area of interest is writing articles and doing reviews on films and food. He can be contacted on +91-9920576806 and ravi5552@gmail.com

Senior Citizens Jeevan Saathi Sammelan 2015 : Matrimonial and Companionship

Rotary Club of Mumbai Nariman Point in association with Silver Inning Foundation presents its 2nd edition of ‘Senior Citizens Jeevan Saathi Sammelan’, a senior citizens match making for marriage and live-in event on Sunday, December 13, 2015 at Mumbai.

The programme is for 50+ age group, who are unmarried, divorced or widowed and seek the company of a soul mate. Prior registration is compulsory and entry is free for all caste, gender, religion, creed, sex, faith, community, disability and location across the country.


Why do we need this event?
With nuclear families becoming the order of the day, senior citizens are often left to fend for themselves, even in times of need. Isolation, the feeling of rejection, gradually cause them to withdraw from active social lives; they retreat into their solitary cocoons, often falling into depression. It can be a lonely and depressing old age for those who are divorced or have lost their spouse. By taking up this initiative, we hope to help elderly singles find a suitable companion and enter into matrimony.


People interested to participate in this event to find their companion have to fill an application form and submit with required documents. All forms have to be submitted prior to the event with the required documents, viz.
1.Two passport size photos
2. Any Government approved ID Card copy
3. Resident proof copy
4. Unmarried affidavit
5. Death certificate of the spouse/Divorce certificate.


Please note: Submission of documents does not guarantee ENTRY at event. It also does not indicate that the form is accepted and confirmed. We will call or email the applicant to confirm acceptance of his/her form. No entry will be given without prior registration.


Applications will be accepted on first cum first served basis. Last date to apply with filled form and documents: 30th November 2015.


Contact us for form and query: Silver Innings, Bdlg: J/47-48, Shop no. 10, Opp. NavgrahaBldg, Lane behind Allahabad Bank, Poonam Sagar Complex, Mira Road East. Mumbai. Pincode 401107.
Tel : 9833344359 / 8879924359 (Mon to Sat 11am to 5pm). Email: silverinnings@gmail.com

You can Apply Online at: http://theseniorcitizen.in/register-here/ or send us by courier or email at above address. You can also Download the Form from http://goo.gl/AOUedW


Event Venue: Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre, 122-A, J K Sawant Marg, Opp Bombay Glass Works, Next to YashwantNatyaMandir, Dadar - Matunga West, Mumbai 400 016.

Time: 10am to 6pm (registration at 9am).

This Event is Supported by: FESCOM, AISCCON, HELPAGE INDIA, 1298 Senior Citizens Helpline, The Metrognome and Rotaract Club.

Disclaimer: Silver Innings, Rotary and any of the partners are not responsible for any misrepresentation/cheating. Participants are requested to do a thorough background check before going ahead with a formal relationship. Legal advice and counseling is suggested for any relationship.

A good companion shortens the longest road

Ageing population and long retirements means grandparents will hand down little to younger generations

An increasingly ageing population means the elderly will have less money to spare for children and grandchildren, experts have warned.

New official estimates suggest that more than one in 12 people will be aged 80 or over in 24 years’ time, with the average UK age lifting from 40 years old to just less than 43 by 2039.

The proportion of people in pensionable age is expected to rise by nearly a third from 12.4million last year to 16.5million by 2039, according to data.

This is because of the big numbers of people born in the ‘baby boom’ years just following WWII reaching state pensions aged in the coming 25 years, the Office for National Statistics said.
Pensioners will make up 25 per cent of the population in 100 years time, according to the estimates.
As people are expected to live longer, they will need to save more money for themselves and will have less to leave to their children and grandchildren, according to Danny Cox, chartered financial planner at Hargreaves Lansdown.

‘An unfortunate consequence of longer life is parents and grandparents being less able to help out their children, as they need more for themselves. It is important not to give away too much to family as retirement could be 25 or 30 years,’ he said.

‘The longer we live, the more likely we will have health issues and need some form of nursing care. After an initial 12 week period, the cost of nursing care is around £650 a week depending upon the location and can be a huge drain on income and capital,’ Cox added.


Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3295314/Ageing-population-long-retirements-means-grandparents-hand-little-younger-generations.html

Silver Innings FC, Youth for Change for Elders Cause

Silver Innings FC (Football Club) is project of Silver Innings (SI), a social enterprise working with Senior Citizens since April 2008, it is supported by Silver Inning Foundation (SIF) , an NGO working with Senior Citizens.

 

Vision: Our vision is of an Generation Friendly world , where people of all ages live in harmony

Mission : To create awareness and sensitizes youth towards our Elders through sports for development concept

Objective:
To Promote Football

To Promote Sports for Development and provide Life Skills among children’s and youths

To create awareness about elder issues among children’s and youths in community, schools and colleges and thereby create a generation friendly society

To create Inter generational bonding 

The Team:

The Silver Innings pilot project was with Sponsorship of Team Alfresco FC in 2011 and 2012 “Foot D Ball to Stop Elder Abuse”, it recognizes the potential that football and other sports can unleash when systematically included in processes of social change. Football especially has the power to unite people and cultures all over the world. As a team sport it promotes fairness and tolerance, leapfrogs gender boundaries and fosters mutual understanding, thereby contributing to the positive development of personality and character.

With this successful Pilot project, Silver Innings launched its own Football Club in June 2013, ’Silver Innings FC’(SIFC) under leadership of Pritesh Singh, Team Coach – Manager. Pritesh Singh say’s “the whole idea is to engage youths, empowering them with skills to positively develop their personality and character, thus increasing opportunities to tackle their life and enhancing a strong civil society”.

Sailesh Mishra, Founder of Silver Innings, quotes “SIFC will utilize skill and wisdom of our Elder and use a holistic approach to promote ‘Sports for Development’ through Football”.

SIFC in 2013-14 played their first prestigious tournament MDFA III Division for 2013-14 and in their very first attempt were group Topper in Group E, with 16 points from 7 matches with 6 Win and 1 Draw.

As SIFC was group topper in III Division in 2013-14, they were promoted to Div II in 2014-15.

Our 2014-15 Team:

 

At time of going press, Update till date 13^th Nov 2014, following is MDFA Div II tournament standing of SIFC :  1 Loss ,1 Win, 2 Draw.

 

Background:
The process of urbanisation and globalization have led to demographic , socio-cultural and economical changes in India , disintegration of joint family system and increase in cost of living which is thereby resulting in decrease in opportunities for grandparents and grandchildren to interact and socialize , resulting in increase in intergenerational gap and disharmony.
To bridge this gap, Fusion and Synergy between Youth & Elders will help us to achieve our vision of creating elder friendly world where ageing becomes a positive and rewarding experience. This intergeneration activity with Sport For Development (S4D) concept through Football is tried for first ever time for promoting Elder Cause and to create awareness about Elder Abuse in civil society.


Need :
Sports programme promotes social inclusive and serve as effective tool for social mobilization. Access to and participation in sport is a human right and essential for individuals of all ages to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

Sport and physical activity are essential for improving health and well being. Appropriate forms of sport and physical activity can play a significant role to prevent as well as help cure many of the world's leading noncommunicable diseases. Evidence shows that regular participation in physical activity programmes provides all people with a wide range of physical, social and mental health benefits. Such active participation also interacts positively with strategies to improve diet, discourage the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs and enhance functional capacity. Consequently, physical activity is an effective method of disease prevention for the individual and, for nations, a cost-effective way to improve public health.

Sport, recreation and play are a fun way to learn values and lessons that will last a life time. They promote friendship and fair play. They teach team work, discipline, respect, and the coping skills necessary to ensure that children develop into caring individuals. They help prepare young people to meet the challenges they will face and to take leadership roles within their communities. Sport and recreation programs are creating environments that are safe and promote stable relationships between children and adults, and among children themselves. Sport as a development instrument becomes even more interesting if it is durably embedded in the local society.

Sport and play are important to UNICEF because they are vital elements in the health, happiness and well-being of children and young people. Research shows that participation by young people in structured recreation contributes to their physical and psychosocial development and can teach basic values and life skills - hard work, discipline, teamwork, fairness and respect for others - that shape individuals' behaviour and help them to pursue their goals and respond appropriately to events in their own lives and in those of others.

UNICEF's Sport for Development (S4D) work is grounded in its mission to ensure that every child has the right to recreation and play in a safe and healthy environment - a right founded in Article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - as well as the right to sport, which is specifically contained in other international treaties. It also recognizes sport-based initiatives as a programme strategy to achieve specific development objectives, including, most notably, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Football is one of the most patronized sports around the world. All around the globe, organisations driven by local social entrepreneurs, use the power of the beautiful game to positively transform their communities. Development through Football is becoming an important issue within the development cooperation and social work sectors. 

Fuelling positive social change through Football has become a fundamental pillar in and carries a significant responsibility for the society as a whole. Due to its values, popularity, universal nature and appeal, football -in all its forms- can be seen as the ideal instrument for achieving social and human development targets and tackling many of the major challenges faced by society today. Football has a positive effect on those who play it, both in terms of health (physical activity) and life skills (the values of team sport).

A perfect analogy to life ,The principles and values of street- or simply informal football played within Development through Football programmes include fair play, team spirit, tolerance, inclusion, and understanding, both of oneself but also of the others, regardless of their status as opponents or team mates.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup which was staged in Africa for the first time ever has strengthen the connection between football and social development even more and thus offer a great chance to showcase the full potential of football.

In India organsiation like Dream A Dream has training module “The Dream Way of Working with Children” highlights values like respect for children, progressive ways of getting children to follow instructions, and making learning for children fun, interesting and participatory.
Also Magic Bus India works for change through football ,finds the potential and abilities within each child, empowering them to build strong and aware communities free of religious and caste prejudice and gender divides. It believes in the child’s right to a positive future in which they make their own choices and take responsibility for change.

We call upon members of Civil Society , Youth Clubs , Sports Club , UN Agencies, Educational Institutions , Corporate , Media ,Senior Citizens Organization’s and Senior Citizens to come ahead and support our unique pilot project “Silver Innings FC ” by Participating , Organizing matches , Capacity building training , Train the Trainer , Media promotion and most important by Funding and Sponsoring.

Contact: silverinnings@gmail.com , Mobile: 91+ 9920852255

LIKE us at : https://www.facebook.com/SilverInningsFc/