Elders day: Portea spreads cheer among senior citizens. Bengaluru: Commemorating the International Day of Older Persons, Portea Medical, India’s leading consumer healthcare brand recently organized a wellness and happiness programme called We Care in various NGOs across Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad. The aim of the wellness programme that covered senior citizens in the four cities was to make them feel special, happy, and appreciated.
With a large number of people crossing over into the senior citizen category, the world’s elderly population is estimated to touch 1.4 billion by the year 2030. Although the elderly will form more than a fifth of the country’s population by 2050, there is still not much awareness on special mental, physical and nutritional requirements of senior citizens at large. This programme was thus aimed as an initiative towards enhancing the quality of life for the elderly through various activities. The one-hour sessions were conducted in Kalaivani Old Age Home and Charitable Trust, Chennai; Gandhi Old Age Home, Bengaluru; Fathima Old Age Home, Hyderabad; and Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram, New Delhi.
Exercise and other social engagement activities can have a positive effect on the mind and body of the elderly. They help in boosting serotonin, a chemical that when released by the body helps in promoting a feeling of general happiness and well-being. In this context, the We Care programme encompassed wellness for the mind, body, and soul for the senior citizens. It aimed to engage them positively through mediation and simple guided exercises.
Speaking about this, Ms Meena Ganesh, Co-Founder and CEO, Portea, said, “In the last 5 years, Portea Medical has served more than XX elderly patients, and we have always strived for a better and healthier life for them. The We Care programme was also an effort in that direction. Caring for the elderly does not only entail their health but also their holistic wellness. Through this programme, the senior citizens in the NGOs not only engaged in exercises and meditation, but also expressed themselves and shared their concerns with our volunteers. It is a part of Portea Health Prime that aims to enable growing elder communities in key cities.”
The programme began with an interesting ice breaker session followed by music and simple exercises. This was accompanied by a 10-minute meditation session. Empathy and compassion champs from Portea Medical joined in for some positive conversations with the elderly and encouraged them to talk and share their thoughts and feelings.
Apart from being a leader in the home healthcare space, Portea is currently the one-stop-shop for all clinical needs of a patient at home. The company covers everything from lab services, pharma delivery, and equipment/devices rentals and sales to medical manpower deployement at the patients’ home. Since inception, Portea has completed more than 3.5 million patient visits across 16 cities in India .
