How does a Nation become socially developed w.r.t Elderly Care?
The answer is simple, it is the collective responsibility of all citizens.
Though it is easy for us citizens to find drawbacks in the National or State Policies but then we need to also understand that the policy makers are one of us, they cannot be expected to know everything to perfection.
The recommended Elderly Care Service Delivery Framework has been designed to help all stakeholders to deliver high quality care for older people in India.
These service delivery guidelines are in no way to be construed as exhaustive or exclusive. It is envisaged that the guidelines will be used in conjunction with the existing policies, schemes and programs of Central and State Governments.
The framework recommends service delivery through a two-tier structure i.e. Center Based Services (CBS) and Home Care Services (HCS).
The current system of elderly care in India does not offer integrated services due to which many support services are not available at the grassroot level.
Hence, there is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive service delivery model that optimises the quality of life for older people in the entire spectrum of the ageing process.
The service delivery framework can also be used by new start-ups to explore the business model they want to develop.
I genuinely hope that these suggestions can help the Government, Pvt Sector, NGOs & MSME in developing quality care for Senior Citizens.
Pankaj Mehrotra
The document National Service Delivery Framework for Older Persons can be downloaded here or can be accessed below