Dr. Mrigna Nagraj, Founder
While it is known that it takes an entire village to raise a child, the fact that it takes an entire ecosystem of family and experts to take care of an elderly is ironically, often overlooked. Elder care is the right solution for this predicament but comes with restrictions. “Our culture calls for taking care of the elderly and taking a specialist help as taboo in India. This stigma and the increase in age shouldn’t equate to decline in the quality of life for anybody,” states Dr. Mrigna Nagraj, Founder, 50 Plus Assist. This 2015-established company is an overall elderly care service provider that instead of being a mere caregiver, offers assistance in dementia care, healthcare monitoring expertise & home care management, while encouraging a holistic development through cognitive therapy, medical expertise, innovative engagement programs and of course, compassion.
Attending with Care
The team comprising of Elderly Care Specialists (ECS), trained psychologists, psychiatrists,
"Through its Home Care Management service, 50 Plus becomes a part of the family and helps the elderly to take care of their homes akin to their children"
neurologists, physiotherapists,
& more, undertakes cognitive-based approach to impart treatments. Under dementia care, simulation-based therapy is conjoined with exercise to improve the elders’ physical and intellectual capabilities to reduce memory loss and retain cognitive abilities. Physiotherapy helps boost these physical capabilities, where the trained in-house physiotherapists craft customized workout regimes to help the elderly gain better health. This helps not only to retain their memory but also to improve their overall well-being which was otherwise affected by dementia. Dr. Mrigna recalls, “One of our bedridden elderly had a highly impaired vision and hearing ability. We helped her recognize people leveraging her tactile sense and remember things via olfactory simulation where she remembered the countries she visited by smelling the coffee beans in front of her. It was truly path-breaking for us”.
Similarly, through its Home Care Management service, 50 Plus becomes a part of the family and helps the elderly to take care of their homes akin to their children. The tailor-made plans help the team and the elderly to co-exist without disrupting the harmony
neurologists, physiotherapists,
& more, undertakes cognitive-based approach to impart treatments. Under dementia care, simulation-based therapy is conjoined with exercise to improve the elders’ physical and intellectual capabilities to reduce memory loss and retain cognitive abilities. Physiotherapy helps boost these physical capabilities, where the trained in-house physiotherapists craft customized workout regimes to help the elderly gain better health. This helps not only to retain their memory but also to improve their overall well-being which was otherwise affected by dementia. Dr. Mrigna recalls, “One of our bedridden elderly had a highly impaired vision and hearing ability. We helped her recognize people leveraging her tactile sense and remember things via olfactory simulation where she remembered the countries she visited by smelling the coffee beans in front of her. It was truly path-breaking for us”.
Similarly, through its Home Care Management service, 50 Plus becomes a part of the family and helps the elderly to take care of their homes akin to their children. The tailor-made plans help the team and the elderly to co-exist without disrupting the harmony
of the latter and manage homes & activities exactly the way their child would. Dr. Mrigna further adds, “We try to incorporate innovation in every paradigm and maintain that quality in their house, in their surroundings and making things as peaceful and as manageable as possible”. For instance, one of the team members introduced the 'Magnifying Sheet' that would help the elderly to read their newspapers coherently, while the other introduced them to WhatsApp and Netflix to help stay in touch with their families as well with the world. “These are the ones who in their prime days were noted doctors, army officers and many more. Their age shouldn't be a parameter for them to be left behind in any aspect,” asserts Dr. Mrigna.
The ability to go out of their way and help their elderly is what makes 50 Plus an organisation to reckon with. However, there is often a lack of government support that often limits the scale at which these services are offered and this is where 50 Plus seeks to break the mould. The team also extends its support to the marginalised elderly community with terminal diseases and gives them the much-needed emotional support. “Though emotionally taxing, ours is a very rewarding job and we will continue to uphold the quality of the geriatric care in the future,” concludes Dr. Mrigna.
The ability to go out of their way and help their elderly is what makes 50 Plus an organisation to reckon with. However, there is often a lack of government support that often limits the scale at which these services are offered and this is where 50 Plus seeks to break the mould. The team also extends its support to the marginalised elderly community with terminal diseases and gives them the much-needed emotional support. “Though emotionally taxing, ours is a very rewarding job and we will continue to uphold the quality of the geriatric care in the future,” concludes Dr. Mrigna.
