Checking up on the elderly At the age of 75, Ramakant Narayan's aspirations in life have been largely fulfilled - his children live abroad and his late wife had a wonderful life. Once an energetic and playful man, he is now a diabetic, with a urinary track infection and suffers from dementia. His children make regular phone calls, but there isn't anyone to care for him. This is where Dr Kusum Doshi's At-Home Medicare Services comes into play.
Located at Vile Parle, a Mumbai suburb, Dr Doshi's At-Home Medicare Services is a small and welcoming practice. Its aim is to ensure proper care for elders - from medical check-ups to supervising their daily medicines and mental well-being, in the comfort of their homes. The services include monthly house-calls by doctors for consultation, weekly monitoring calls, repeat tests and home delivery of medicines. "We believe that mental health is as important as physical health and facilitate the care of both", says Dr Doshi. While mental health is provided through support and communication, physical health is cared for by doctor's visits, facilitating medical tests, consultations and medicines. But why did a 60+ woman start this service? When Dr Doshi's brother passed away 10 years ago, his wife struggled to cope with his death and went into serious depression. So much so that she has to be force-fed through a tube to keep her alive. "It was then that I realised the need to set up a clinic to care for the elderly," says Dr Doshi. So, in 2004, she studied geriatric care at the Indian Medical Association and on the fifth day of Navratri her At-Home Medicare Services was launched. Issues with senior citizens' health are usually stress-related and triggered by lack of financial support and insurance. The consequences are neglect of health, loneliness and depression. Despite the obvious need for such care, Dr Doshi struggled to find patients for the first two years. She visited yoga ashrams and elder-care centres to propagate her At-Home Medicare Services. She got her first patient in 2007 after which news spread and she has 50 patients today. At-Home Medicare Services charges an annual fee of Rs10,000 which includes a yearly full-body check-up, weekly calls and monthly visits by doctors. Services under this plan are currently available between Bandra and Andheri in Mumbai and can be extended to other parts of the city on payment of additional conveyance. The service has tie-ups with pathological laboratories, specialist doctors, nurses and chemists. Blood, urine and stools tests are done at home and it even helps organise full-time nursing care. At-Home Medicare is a for-profit entity but operates like a social organisation and even offers emotional support to elders. "Otherwise it leads to anxiety and depression and to Alzheimer's and dementia," says Dr Doshi. She encourages patients to take up hobbies to keep their mind alert. She also organises monthly outings and other activities. Dr Doshi's core team comprises two teenage volunteers and her driver. The girls simply call members, chat with them and remind them to take their medicine. "At their age, most members are lonely and need to talk to someone," says Dr Doshi. She has requests to set up branches across Mumbai, especially at Worli, Kandivali and Ghatkopar, but can do it only if she has more volunteers. "I believe that you need one doctor for 50 patients," says Dr Doshi. Moreover, volunteers and doctors need to have done geriatric medicine to be a part of this effort. Any person in India or abroad can subscribe to or sponsor this service to benefit a relative, friend or stranger. These are the details: At-Home Medicare Services Dr Kusum Doshi's Polyclinic, 1, Ankita Apts, Nehru Road, Vile Parle (E), Mumbai 400 057 Tel: (+91) 22 2614 1334 Email: [email protected] Website: www.at-homemedicare.com http://www.moneylife.in/article/78/8949.html -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
