The Golden Years reimagined: Financial security, assistive care, and health tech for India's seniors

India is witnessing a significant demographic shift as its senior citizen population continues to grow, necessitating an urgent focus on enhancing their health, wellness, and community life. Ensuring that senior citizens lead fulfilling and dignified lives requires a holistic and multi-faceted approach. This involves improving geriatric care services, developing accessible infrastructure, securing financial stability, and offering robust mental health support.

At the TOI Right to Excellence - Senior Well-Being Summit, a panel of industry experts – Mitali Nikore (Economist, Founder of Nikore Associates), Sudhir Mathur (CEO and Founder of MeraDoc), and Ishaan Khanna (CEO, Antara Assisted Care Services) shared their valuable insights on the topic “Transforming Senior Living in India: Financial Aid, Assistive Care, Health Tech, and Inclusivity.”

The talk began with the topic of Assisted Care Services and what it entails. “Assisted care is potentially anything that goes beyond living independently. It is something that could be delivered at home or at an assisted living facility,” said Mr. Ishaan Khanna, CEO, Antara Assisted Care Services.

While discussing the types of services provided to the elderly when it comes to assisted care, Mr. Sudhir Mathur, CEO and Founder of MeraDoc, said that at MeraDoc, they did not initially intend to start as assisted care services but rather aimed to revive the age-old practice of having a family doctor. In doing so, they recognized the need for doctors to know how to communicate with elderly patients about their ailments. “We are all going to get there; just learn to treat the other person as you want your mother to be taken care of,” said Mr. Mathur, explaining their approach to care services.

Attention was also brought to the importance of caregivers. “Be it a family member or a third party, they (caregivers) need to be trained. They are handling difficult situations at times and need support to vent the issues they go through,” he added.


Speaking more on care services from the elderly's point of view, Mitali Nikore added, “At Nikore Associates, we have been researching the Care Economy. We are not looking at the care economy only from the perspective of the elderly or children or long-term dependent adults but also from the women’s perspective, as in most cases, they are the primary caregivers in a family.”

Mitali Nikore also highlighted certain issues:

1. Preference given to aging at home. There is also a demand for multi-generational care facilities where elders, children, people with disabilities, and elderly persons all come together, engaging in leisure activities.

2. Affordability is the second issue. The government needs to provide support for the lower and middle classes.

3. Lack of respect for caregivers. Women often do not feel safe while providing care at home.

When to access assisted care facilities?

“It is important to first understand the needs of the elderly,” shared Ishaan Khanna. “It’s also important to keep an eye on the physical and mental health of the individual. If they need higher care and the primary caregiver is unable to provide it, then it’s always better to look at assisted care facilities,” he added. Geriatric care services must be tailored to meet the unique health needs of the elderly. This includes not only addressing physical ailments but also ensuring comprehensive mental health care.