Released at the hands of the Dr. Virendra Kumar, Hon’ble Union Minister, along with senior dignitaries including Shri Ramdas Athawale, Shri B.L. Verma, Dr. Vinod Paul, Shri Amit Yadav, Smt. Monali P. Dhakate and Dr. Benazir Patil, the toolkit provides a blueprint to actualize ‘ageing in place’. The release was followed by an engaging panel discussion on ‘Navigating Real-World Challenges in Elderly Care’, moderated by Dr.Gowri Nambiar Sengupta, Director, Central Health Education Bureau featuring perspectives from Dr. Pushpa Choudhary, Lead – Life Course, WHO India; Dr. K. Madan Gopal, Advisor, Public Health Administration, NHSRC; Dr. Sutapa Neogi, Director, IIHMR Delhi; Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Global Head – CSR, HCL Foundation; and Mr. Jaydeep Biswas, Chief – Policy, Advocacy, and Partnerships, UNFPA
The event was graced by the presence of and active participation from Dr. Nidhi Pundhir from HCL Foundation, Mr. Rishi Kumar from HCLTech, Mr. J. Ram from the Social Welfare Department of Uttar Pradesh, and Dr. Rama Shankar Yadav from the Health & Family Welfare Department. A technical session titleds “Inclusive Development: Ensuring No Elder is Left Behind”, moderated by Dr. Syed Hassan (IIMSR), brought together Mr. J Ram, Dr. Rama Shankar Yadav, Mr. Mushahid Ali (UP TSU), and Mr. Ravi Bansal (CSR ITC Limited) . A defining highlight was the shared vision of Vriddha Mitra and HCLFoundation to not only enable ageing in place but also create livelihood opportunities in geriatric caregiving—empowering youth with meaningful skills while ensuring dignity, care, and companionship for the elderly.
A dedicated Geriatric Unit for the elderly was opened and became operational in Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Pune in May 2025. Providing physiotherapy at no cost to all elderly attendees, this marked the third such Geriatric Unit in the city.
For the capacity building of the Vriddha Mitras on the field, comprehensive trainings took place in Bhopal, Pune & Mumbai, and Lucknow. The trainings focused on all the Standard Operating Procedures for the various activities carried out by the teams, as well as reporting and documentation guidelines. Furthermore, a training for nurses was also carried out in Gwalior.
On 1st May 2025, a dedicated Geriatric Unit was launched at Sanjeevani Hospital, Kolar (Bhopal) under the Vriddha Mitra program. The unit focuses on promoting the health and well-being of the elderly, with special emphasis on providing free physiotherapy services to senior citizens. This initiative aims to ensure accessible, age-friendly healthcare and improved quality of life for vulnerable elderly in the region.
Vriddha Mitra Kendras were inaugurated in Bhopal, Gwalior, Lucknow, and Varanasi with the aim to provide a recreational space for the elderly, as well as act as a centre for them to gain access to social security schemes with ease.
On 29th March 2025, 107 Vriddha Mitra caregiver course graduates (82 sponsored by SIDBI & 25 by Bajaj Finserv) were felicitated. Certificates were presented by Mr. Aman Rajabali (President, NHRDN & CEO, Kabir Profile Solutions), Mr. Shailendra Maslekar (Founder Trustee, Caring Hands) and Mr. Nilesh Nikam (Bajaj Finserv). The initiative was lauded for empowering caregivers with skills and compassion to ensure dignified elderly care
From 20th to 22nd March 2025, five members of the Society of Community Health Oriented Operational Links (SCHOOL) completed the Dementia India Alliance (DIA) Training-of-Trainers Program at Nightingales Medical Trust, Bangalore. Now certified as Master Trainers in Dementia Care, the team gained both theoretical and hands-on skills to train professional and family caregivers.
