My association with Epoch started back in 2016, when I was in the process of figuring out what I want to do in my life from a career perspective. I have always been a self starter and initially started working with Epoch as a freelance consultant for design and marketing, coming in once in a while.
My connection with Epoch was instant. I remember the very first time I walked into an Epoch home (Vermeer, Gurgaon), I could immediately sense the feeling of warmth and coziness with cute elderlies all around and realised it is such an offbeat place to work at. In-between work, I would walk around, say hi to some of the elders and be greeted back with the cutest wrinkly smiles! It would take me back to my memories with my grandparents and made me feel I have so many more dadas & dadis (grandparents).
As months passed by, I started coming in more often, getting involved in more and more functions of Epoch apart from just design & marketing. Understanding how the Epoch homes function and finding creative solutions to problems faced by each homes and residents, working more closely with the care teams, gave me more and more opportunities to interact with the elders. One need not be a nurse or a doctor or a care attendant or need not have clinical expertise to help an elderly. Providing the necessary social interaction that many seniors lack, simply having someone to talk to can brighten their day. Through various aspects of my work and my interaction with the residents, I realised that I was able to make some difference in the elder’s lives, however little. The sense of gratification is immense!
At Epoch, it is crucial to ease the transition of elders moving out of their home into an Epoch home and one of the primary ways to do it is through making sure the Epoch homes look and feel more like a home with the warmth and coziness and definitely not feeling institutional at all, while still keeping the homes elder safe and dementia friendly. The concept of design from an Epoch home perspective enabled me to take fresh approach and broadened my learnings about design. This approach to design where the communication is more subtle yet colourful & warm and transparent NOT ‘sale-sy’, also found it’s way into my work in brand and marketing. Connecting with a family member on the other side of a computer/mobile screen, for whom the process of engaging a service for their elderly loved one is a highly emotional decision; and building this dynamic interactivity has been an absolute delight.
Today when I look back at the 4 years I have spent at Epoch, career wise it has been quite an unconventional learning experience. Professionally, like others at Epoch, I have grown to be a leader rather than just a doer. Having been closely involved in set up of two Epoch homes, even though I do not possess a clinical background, I do believe my understanding of ageing, geriatric care and dementia care has vastly increased. I would say that design & marketing approach at Epoch is a healthy challenge that only enables you to grow and understand your audience at a more personal level. Epoch truly enables individuals to become elder care experts irrespective of one’s professional background.
