Media Release
Bengaluru, Feb 14: The population of the elderly (those aged 60 years and above) is steadily rising in India. Currently at around 13% of the total population, it is estimated to reach 20% of the total population of India by 2050. Elderly persons face a range of challenges in seeking healthcare including accessibility, affordability and lack of expertise of dedicated geriatric care. There is a dearth of trained personnel to deliver services, with most facilities looking at microscopic issues rather than addressing the range of physical, mental, social and emotional issues faced by these elderly.
Care of the elderly was a service started at St John’s in 2003-04, under a dedicated community programme called the ‘Senior Citizen Health Service’, that has provided over the past 2 decades care to hundreds of elderly in rural and urban areas of Bengaluru thorugh community clinics, old age home support services, home health services and psychosocial support centres. Additionally, training of various medical personnel and caregivers has been undertaken by the service, apart from research in the field of geriatrics.
This experience of St John’s along with encouragement of various government and non government organisations, philanthropists and the elderly themselves led to the birth of the idea to have a centre of excellence dedicated to elderly and palliative care on the campus of St John’s Medical College Hospital. This was titled ‘The St John’s Geriatric Centre – A Ray of Hope’.
The St John’s Geriatric Centre – A ray of Hope is a standalone facility located on the campus of St John's Medical College Hospital on Sarjapur Road, Koramangala. It is a 4-pronged facility aiming to offer facilities for chronic and palliative care, facilities for training of personnel on care of the elderly, a base for community engagement with the elderly and their caregivers to promote a sense of wellbeing and a research centre for studies on aging and geriatrics. This centre is a seven storeyed building that has been established on land allocated for the purpose by St John's and has been built thanks to generous support by many people and organisations who have donated for the cause of the elderly.
The centre was inaugurated on February 14. Ramalinga Reddy, minister for transport and Muzrai, government of Karnataka was the chief guest for the event. Victor Henry Thakur, archbishop of Raipur and chairman, governing board, St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences was the guest of honour. Mar Andrews Thazhath, archbishop of Thrissur and president, Catholic Bishops Conference of India presided over the function.
Speaking at the event, Fr Jesudoss Rajamanickam, director, St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences welcomed the gathering. He thanked the various donors of the project for having dedicated resources for the centre. He reiterated that the centre would stand as a symbol of compassion, feeling and respect, reaffirming the dedication of St John’s to holistic and dignified healthcare for the elderly. He said that St John’s would be fulfilling the solemn responsibility to care for those who have cared for us. This initiative is a reflection of the ethos of St John’s where service, care and love come together to create a meaningful impact in the lives of the elderly.
Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur in his inaugural address reemphasised the vision and mission of St John’s in delivering quality care to the underserved across India. He emphasised that this initiative is another step where elderly receive support and dignity that they deserve. He praised the healthcare providers who have selflessly dedicated their efforts to the relatively neglected field of geriatrics.
Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath in his presidential address said that the centre was a milestone and witness to the commitment by St John’s to healthcare of the elders, who are an invaluable part of this society.
Ramalinga Reddy highlighted the contribution of St John’s as a beacon of education and healthcare initiatives over the past 62 years. He lauded the efforts of the institution to deliver services to the Elderly, who find it difficult to access quality services. He reiterated his support to the initiative and prayed that the centre would succeed in its mission.
Dr Arvind Kasthuri, team lead, St John’s Geriatric Centre who has spearheaded the initiative of the centre from conceptualisation to completion recalled the journey of geriatrics in St John’s from 1999 till date. He reiterated what the centre would strive to undertake in the various domains of service, research, training and community engagement.
The types of care offered in the centre will include daycare, short term care, transitional care, intermediate care, long-term care and palliative and hospice care. The beds will comprise common ward beds, semiprivate and single private rooms, similar to St John's Medical College Hospital.
A telemedicine facility will be built up, so that the reach of the centre can expand to the remote corners of our country. With trained doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and allied health professionals on board, and with the resource of St John's behind it, the centre will aim to offer chronic care to its clients in a sensitive and caring manner. It must be noted however, that the centre is a healthcare facility and not an old age home. It is not intended for permanent stay.
The training programmes to be initiated in the centre include training for a variety of groups, ranging from doctors and nurses to home nursing aids, healthcare assistants, caregivers of patients, and other interested groups.
Community engagement programmes will be planned at the centre in the areas of physical activity, mental well-being, recreation, education and awareness-generation. This area of work will include advocacy, networking, working with other like-minded organisations and the conduct of seminars and conferences on eldercare.
Research on aging and geriatrics will also form an area of work at the St John's Geriatric Centre. The centre will form a base for studies which assess different aspects of aging, with a view to create meaningful information which will make a difference to the lives of the elderly in India.
The operational launch being planned to take place shortly, following full completion of the building and the needed resources in place. The St John's website www.stjohns.in will have the details on date of launch and contact numbers for information.
Several elders also spoke on the occasion through recorded and live messages regarding the benefits that they had got from the geriatric services at St John’s, and that they looked forward to the initiation of the centre since it truly envisions to be a ‘Ray of Hope’.