Sensitization Programs
Celebrations
International day of Older persons at Chetla Timmaipally village in 1990
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 1st October to be celebrated as International Day for Elderly People in 1990. Since then, the international day of Older Persons is celebrated annually to create awareness among the people about issues which affects the elders as well as to appreciate their contribution towards the society. Nischinta has been celebrating the international day of older persons at Chetla Timmaipally, Chegunta Mandal, Medak district and in Hyderabad.
International day of older persons at Motinagar, Hyderabad in 2016
On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons 2016, the Nischinta Foundation organised a Diabetes Health Camp at Motinagar, Hyderabad, in collaboration with the UdayaSri Trust. The camp was led by Dr. Uday Kiran, MD, DD, DCM, who conducted routine health check-ups, blood pressure monitoring, and random blood sugar tests. He also provided personalised health advice to participants. Recognising the importance of nutrition in diabetes management, the Nischinta Foundation distributed free educational material titled "Diet for Diabetics" to all attendees.
International day of older persons at Bowenpally, Hyderabad in 2016
International Day of Older Persons was jointly observed by the Nischinta Foundation and HelpAge India, in association with the Sneha Senior Citizen Association. The programme featured engaging games conducted separately for men and women, with prizes awarded to the winners. A nutrition awareness session was also held, reinforcing the importance of healthy eating and active living among elders.
Eye Camps
Eye Camp for Senior Citizens at Bodu Uppal, Hyderabad in 2015
Nischinta Foundation organised an Eye Camp for Senior Citizens at Bodu Uppal, Hyderabad, in collaboration with Vasan Eye Care. The camp benefited around many senior citizens, providing eye screenings and guidance on eye health.
Comprehensive Eye Screening and Cataract Surgery Camp at Chetla Timmaipally in 2017
Responding to a request from the local community, the Nischinta Foundation conducted a Comprehensive Eye Screening and Cataract Surgery Camp at Chetla Timmaipally on 5 February 2017, in collaboration with Pushpagiri Eye Hospital. During the camp, eye examinations were conducted for community members. Free spectacles were provided to those diagnosed with refractive errors, and cataract surgeries were facilitated for selected patients, helping restore vision and improve quality of life.
| Male | Female | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No of people screened | 42 | 38 | 80 |
| No of people identified with Cataract | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| No of people identified with Refractive errors | 18 | 15 | 33 |
| No of people referred to Pushpagiri Eye Hospital for further evaluation | 02 | 02 | 04 |
Experiences & Field Engagements
Exposure visit to 'Tamaraikulam Elders Village' a HelpAge India Project
The Nischinta Foundation team visited 'Tamarikulam Elder Village' a HelpAge India project in Pondicherry on 18th August 2015 to understand the process that led to the developing of the project. The following are the learning experiences:
- Tamaraikula runs on charity model, which would be possible for HelpAge India and some of its fund raising approaches could be adopted for Nischinta Foundation
- The structural design is interesting and could be replicated.
- There is requirement for trained nursing staff for any elders' village.
Exposure Visit to 'Serene Retirement Colony'
The Nischinta team also visited 'Serene Retirement Colony' in Pondicherry on 18th August 2015 to understand the facilities and residents experiences. Though the colony is meant for elders it is a business model. The families of the elderly need to purchase the house in the colony and pay for the services. The company manages the services which include housekeeping, dining hall and battery operated cars. It was felt that the model is not suitable for Nischinta.
Visit to Other Old Age homes
To gain more understanding on the issues related to elders, the Nischinta team visited few Old Age homes in and around Hyderabad namely The ‘Chandra Rajeswara Rao Old Age home at Kondapur, and The Ananda Nilayam near Siddipet, Shirdi Sai Old Age Home in Medchal. The following are the Learning experiences:
- The elders are quite happy with the all the facilities provided except for the fact that they were away from their family.
- The subsided and free old age homes, on the other hand, lacked clean environment and quality services.
- In all of these homes, there were not many extracurricular activities except in Anand Nilayam where Vests making unit was established and it is operational.
- These visits reaffirmed the learning for Nischinta that there is need to create space for elders for pursuing their interests, share their feelings and engage themselves in myriad activities.
Formation of Elderly Self Group
Nischinta Foundation, with the support of volunteers collected basic data for Chetla Timmaipally and its four hamlets to understand their personal details, socio economic status, health status and their needs. Based on that information a preliminary meeting with elders was conducted in all the 5 villages. Some of the problems they expressed have been:
- Unbearable hospital expenses
- Though old, have to work hard to feed themselves
- Children's marriages have made them penniless
- Problem of debts incurred to perform children's marriages
- Life has become difficult after the demise of spouse
- With health problems, unable to manage even personal things
- Sons do not look after the parents so find difficulty in managing even a square meal per day
Some of the expectations are:
- Cure their health issues and provide some work
- Conduct medical Checkups for Arthritis, Knees, Eyes, BP, Sugar
- Give Medicines, Tablets, Injections, Glucose, Tonics
- Conduct Eye Operations and give spectacles
- Provide Clothes, Rice, Blankets, walking sticks
- Help in Feeding those without care takers
- Tell them about good health