WHEN PARENTS GET OLD|Let them grow old with the same love that they let you grow.
WHEN PARENTS GET OLD…
Let them grow old with the same love that they let you grow ..
.Let them speak and tell repeated stories with the same patience and interest that they heard yours as a child …
Let them overcome, like so many times when they let you win ..
.Let them enjoy their friends just as they let you …
Let them enjoy the talks with their grandchildren because they see you in them …
Let them enjoy living among the objects that have accompanied them for a long time because they suffer when they feel that you tear pieces of this life away …
Let them be wrong, like so many times you have been wrong and they didn’t embarrass you by correcting you …
LET THEM LIVE and try to make them happy on the last stretch of the path they have left to go; give them your hand, just like they gave you their hand when you started your path!
POST RETIREMENT IN SIGNATURE STYLE
Life Begins at Fifty is an interesting leap into that phase of life where people make a lifestyle choice to move away from the hauntings of ageing and instead, embrace the nuances of mellowing with dignified grace. In this segment, I just can’t wait to introduce you to a very interesting person who took a giant leap to make lives better for those among us who are aged, needy and disabled. Once you retire and cross a certain age, there are limitations to the daily chores that you can perform on your own.
Here is where the Post Retirement concept comes in to help our senior citizens live a healthy, happy contended life, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Joseph Alex and his lovely wife Sithara – the masterminds behind Signature Foundation. Enjoy the candid conversation between the author and the man behind Signature Foundation.
- I never knew Post Retirement could be this fabulous. So, how did this whole idea behind Signature Foundation begin. What exactly triggered it?
Well, it all started in 2015 when I happened to witness a gross incident of a 92-year old lady being harassed by her home nurse. I think it set off a major wake-up call in my altruistic mind and I decided to bid adieu to my 18-year corporate sales career to launch Signature Foundation.
We initially set up a hospice in Kochi, Kerala for bed-bound patients who needed intense nursing care and round-the-clock supervision. Instead of just offering an “old age home” facility, we decided to go one step ahead and provide terminal care for patients. By the grace of God and excellent nursing care, most of the patients recovered extremely well after coming to our hospice. That’s when I felt the relevance of a Post Retirement concept where senior citizens could continue to live a healthy, happy, contended life under the constant loving care of trained nurses and healthcare professionals. We set up this second Signature unit around nine months back and I’m happy to say we are doing quite a good job taking care of the elderly members in our community.
Looking back, I can’t help reminiscing about my sales career when I used to chase clients to meet my annual targets. Back then, I used to dream about doing something beneficial for the community so that people would come searching for me instead of me running after them. I think my dream just came true!
- The stigma surrounding old age homes is still ripe in Kerala and all over India for that matter. I would say you made a very brave move by venturing into the aged care sector. What was the initial response from the society?
When I ventured into this sector, I never knew there would be any stigma at all.
There are plenty of old age homes in Kerala and I have visited a major chunk of them. Often the idea of institutional care gets diluted at many of these centres, which is exactly why I wanted to offer something more through Signature Foundation. Handling an aged ailing individual is a full-time job that requires passion, dedication and expertise. It is often not practical to take care of them at home but due to the social stigma, children either leave their parents alone at home or in the care of a home nurse. So there is a stigma for sure. And it definitely, has not changed.
Looking back, I feel the enquiries we received four years back were from aged patients who were not in the best of health, had bed sores and hip fractures. Today, the enquiries are from aged individuals who are quite healthy with mild medical conditions.
- What is the extent of nursing care being provided here? What are the facilities a retired individual can look forward to when they walk into Signature?
We emphasize on three factors:
- Best care with a personal touch; and this is what is missing in most homes where children even find it difficult to hug our own parents or express love.
- Best food that suits the palate of each individual
- Daily personal care and hygiene
No matter how successful you are, it is how you die that will determine your penultimate success. Especially when you are incapacitated but mentally alert, living each day becomes quite painfully helpless.
The services we provide include end-to-end solutions for everything. At Signature, we have fully trained, qualified nurses on 24- duty to provide the best care possible. There is also no compromise on the quality of food being served. Our daily menu includes cuisines that are requested by every single resident so that everyone is happy. A medical doctor comes in twice a week and we also provide physiotherapy. The residents here have the freedom to continue their treatment at other clinics or health centre while staying at Signature. What we assure is nursing care par excellence.
- When clients approach you, have they already decided that their aged family members would be staying here? Or do you need to counsel them?
What I always say is, if you love your parents bring them to Signature. This is not a place where you throw them away. Here is where your aged parents will get excellent care. I never call back or follow up on an enquiry. I allow them to take the decision.
If senior citizens approach us at their own will,
we request them to help connect us with their children. This is to avoid any complications at a later stage.
- If an aged individual has no chance of recovery from a medical condition, you would be suggesting that he / she reside at the hospice. What if they recover? Where would they go next?
Around 25 of our aged patients at the hospice have rehabilitated and been referred to continue at our post retirement centre. At the hospice, residents are bed-bound but at the post retirement centre residents are quite active enough to move around. All our units and rooms are furnished to resemble a hotel suite so as to make the residents feel special and quite at home.
- What are the criteria for admission at the hospice and the Post Retirement facility? How do you screen them in?
Not all retired individuals are taken in at Signature. We ask the requirement of the individual and their children. If the person is mentally disoriented and requires intensive nursing attention, then they are directed to our hospice where we have beds and areas designed for intensive care. On the other hand, if the individual can manage with minimal assistance, then they will be directed to our post retirement centre.
Retirement homes run on a totally different concept wherein people invest money upfront and get to lead an independent life and enjoy after they retire. Post retirement concept is where senior citizens are not able to manage the home and themselves independently. They would need nursing assistance with close monitoring. Or they may be not comfortable with the idea of living alone and need someone to talk to and take care of their medical requirements on a daily basis.
At our post retirement centre, those who have retired can either choose to spend the rest of their lives here or stay for a short period to recuperate after a surgery. Many of our residents have gone back home after staying here for five months while some have come back to continue living here at Signature.
- I have heard that there are a lot of atrocities being committed against the aged by persons who are not professionally trained to nurse them. How far is it true?
It is absolutely true and sometimes hard to believe as well! I know for sure because of several personal experiences I have had. I will share a few instances here.
Changing adult diapers may be hard for a care provider, especially when it has to be done twice or thrice. Sometimes, care providers give medicine to aged individuals to constipate them and thereby avoid having to change their adult diapers often.
At other times, while body sponging is being done, clean water is not used, leading to infection and skin disease in the elderly. Sedatives are also given to the elderly so that they do not move around and remain bed-bound. This is done under the pretense of avoiding any fatal falls or accidents. Such atrocities can affect the medical treatment an elderly person is going through.
There is also the case of a sodium dip in the elderly. Low sodium levels can make a person weak, grumpy and prone to temper tantrums. They may not be on their best behavior towards a home nurse or care provider. So, in a nutshell, only a trained nursing professional who has the competence and compassion to handle aged individuals will be able to provide the right kind of post retirement service. This is exactly what our trained nurses offer at Signature.
- What is your prediction on the aged care sector? Is there scope for career opportunities for a healthcare professional who specializes in aged care and disability?
Going forward, institutional care will soon be the norm. By 2021, 30 to 33 percent of the population will be senior citizens. In fact, even the children of senior citizens will be retired individuals themselves, thanks to advanced medical facilities. Our life span has gone up incredibly and we have parents living up to the age of 95 whose children are around 65. So, both require aged care. However, health has diminished which is why post retirement centres will be important in the years to come.
The career opportunities in the aged care sector are immense. For a nurse, there will be no dearth of opportunities for career success, especially in countries like UK, Ireland and Australia. I am also proud to mention that any nurse who has worked at our Signature centre – either the hospice or the post retirement unit – come highly recommended at all leading hospitals in India. This is because we hire only the best and provide our staff with learning opportunities to upskill themselves while on the job.
- I have been here for close to three days and I feel at Signature, it is happiness that begins at fifty. What’s the secret? How do you keep our senior community so happy?
There is no rocket science about it. All that our senior community need is a hug. Elderly people can be as obstinate as a six-year old. We should be compassionate enough to take care of them with genuine love and care. I would say give care without expecting anything in return. The joy of giving is important here because the love the aged in our midst give back is immense. In fact, the love I get from residents at Signature is beyond what I have received from anyone else.
- What’s your next signature plan?
Well, that’s a tough question. Our hands are full right now. There are close to 120 residents at both our Signature centres. We have so far taken care of 400 seniors and assured a peaceful death for more than 115 individuals who have lived life to the fullest. Death is inevitable but how an individual’s story ends matters a great deal. When a patient bids adieu at our hospice, all of us are beside that person, giving him / her the strength to pass over to a new phase in their lives.
I understand that the requirement for post-retirement is huge all over Kerala but right now we are not sure about expanding our operations. We are very specific about the quality of service we render and this requires us to be mentally engaged in everything that we do at our Signature centres. Even my wife, Sithara, helps me out by taking care of the Purchase and Administration departments. At this point of time, if we begin to think about expanding further and focus on the commercial aspect of this venture, I don’t think we will be able to do justice to the vision of this Signature initiative.
Right now, we are focused on service and quality care. I’m not considering much from the business point of view. Let’s see how things move on.
