HYDERABAD: Old age is inevitable. But the needs of the elderly folk in the society are often looked over. In an attempt to ease out the life of the elderly during their golden years, Tata Trusts has come up with the platform Elder Spring which aims to aggregate information and facilities for the elderly on one platform. They call themselves a response system to fulfil the needs of the elderly. In the four months since its launch, the response system has already catered to 6700 calls on their toll-free number.
Saraswati Padmanabhan the head of Elder Spring explains, “In the most delicate years of a human we aim to give them a dignified and peaceful life. We have had cases and enquiries come to us from both elder citizens and younger ones for their parents or grandparents. The platform aggregates information on geriatric care, counselling, shelters and much more that might be needed for an elder to lead a good life.” Among the 6900 calls that they received on a toll-free number - 14567 - open on all days from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, Saraswati says that 70% of them were enquiries while the rest included rescues, emotional support and others.
“We are open to including any service or any company to join us in this initiative. For instance, a service provider can collaborate with us in triangulating a call for rescues. Tech Startups could provide solutions to a few logistics. NGOs the Government of Telangana, startups with helpful technology, we have already joined hands with many organisations for the betterment of the elders,” she explains
Although Elder Spring does not have its own facility or estate, they direct, counsel and guide and assists the elderly.