THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government is planning to start certificate courses in caregiving of senior citizens from the next academic year, besides imparting training to existing caregivers and upgrading the palliative care system in local bodies to ensure the well-being of the elderly persons, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Thursday.
Satheesan was addressing a session on the project ‘Keralam Silver Economy’ on the sidelines of the ‘Reimagining Keralam’ initiative that features a series of Round Table Conferences (RTCs) to evolve the framework for fast-tracking the transformational projects announced by the state government in the 2026-27 Budget. The session was organised by the Elderly Welfare Department.
Noting that ‘nobody should be alone’ is the dream of the government, Satheesan said as part of starting the caregiving courses, the syllabi from the UK, Germany and Australia will be integrated into Keralam’s socio-economic context.
“From the next academic year onwards, we can start these caregiving courses. All the medical colleges, nursing colleges and private hospitals with sufficient facilities can start this certificate course of six months’ duration followed by a one-year internship. It will also lead to employment generation,” Satheesan said.
Elaborating on projects like ‘One Kerala, Karuthal Mission’ conceived by the government for the elderly, he said Keralam is the first state in India to set up a department for senior citizens. “In our society, the population of youngsters is becoming very thin due to demographic reasons and brain drain. We have to factor in the demographic shift of the next 10 years while drawing up our future plans,” he said. Creating a database of persons needing care in local bodies has already begun, he said.