Having worked for over two and half decades with the best 5 star hotels nationally and Internationally, life was full of action. Ensuring quality and standards are met, for Country Heads, dignitaries, political leaders, people from the glamour industry and visiting guests, were part and parcel of every day’s life.
True to the nature of my birth sign “Gemini”, I took a plunge for exploring other similar industries. To share my learning of setting up new hospitals for their aesthetics and standards, I joined Max Hospital in Dehradun and worked with the group for six years. Bringing my experience on the table, I was also completely involved in the setup of Vana Health Resorts and Antara Senior Living whose target audience are people of old age from different walks of life. The objective was to build an environment where we focused our energies in giving “comfort” as a way of life, ensuring that whatever they’ve had as a standard of life is captured in this nest. Making sure that each one of their requirements are met to the smallest of details, was most satisfying.
During these six years of my tenure, I learnt that there’s a world outside the glitterati where people are in need of care and sympathy. They have a million stories to share. Stories of their youth, achievements, failures, successes, families, the good times they’ve lived. They are just looking for someone who can hear them and be a strong, approachable pillar.
The environment compelled me as similar were the conditions at home where my mother was bedridden due to complication of diseases in her old age. My mother was my ideal who raised five of us single handed after the sudden death of my father at a very young age of thirty-five. And to see her dying every day and not able to do anything was beyond explanation.
After joining Epoch Elder Care in 2020, when I see elders in similar conditions, I go out of my way to help them as I know in their prime youth; they all have led very respectful lives, however, are now restrained because of their health. The working environment I find here is very different from my previous organizations where work was segmented department wise. Here it’s every one’s job is to ensure that the elders are at comfort to deal with any one. You may find Food and Beverage Manager, providing a blanket to the elder during a cold night, or administrator keeping an elder engaged and cheerful playing chess with him. The care staff always keeps the elders engaged in some activity or the other so they remain alert and active.
While I was penning these thoughts, I also came across an episode on the Indian Idol, of yesteryears’ legend Shri. Santosh Anandji, who has given numerous hit Bollywood songs to the Indian Cinema. He is now constrained because of his health; however that does not pull him down. It was very heart rendering to watch him, but his zeal to perform, even in the given circumstances, is commendable. I would leave a link to the episode here, give it a view and it will definitely change your perspective.
It brings out my sympathy naturally for all of the elders and their families as they are totally dependent on the caregiver. Hence it becomes our prime responsibility to ensure they are comfortable. Our staff at Epoch is trained to ensure not only to look after them, give them a meaningful life, but also provide a hygienic and safe environment. With the focus on the current Epoch homes and creating more homes I am duty-bound to ensure that I bring in my vast experience to use building premises which are safe, secure and most practical for elders to be independent- as much as possible.
I would like to end with a quote by Peyton Conway March (United States Army officer who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1918 until 1921), _“There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life — happiness, freedom, and peace of mind — are always attained by giving them to someone else.”
