This is a story of how a hygiene challenge in urban old age homes became the precursor for rural nursing and elderly care. Many of the abandoned elderly in urban areas have lifestyle diseases, neurological and orthopaedic problems, affecting their ability to live independently. They require trained nurse-assistants who could take care of their nutrition, hygiene, monitoring, assist with treatment and coordinate with medical teams. GDA’s were placed in nonprofit old age homes with the elderly, in partnership with Elder spring, a Vijayvahini Charitable Foundation initiative.

 The nurse-assistants made a significant impact in the livability of destitute, abandoned and bed-ridden elderly. Their hygiene and nutrition improved.With the threat of COVID-19 Pandemic in mid-march 2020,there was a requirement that the partner old age homes and nurse-assistants could be rapidly upskilled  which was done remotely. With the opening of the lock-down in May 2020, nurse-assistants returned to their villages, after a period of isolation in Hyderabad. Dakshas has grappled with the challenge to provide everyday nursing care in rural areas.

 With the opening of the lock-down in May 2020, the GDA program turned out to be a precursor to extending elderly health services to villages. Nurse-assistants returned to their villages, after a period of isolation in Hyderabad. Their learnings could be deployed in the village, within their own communities. Nurse-assistants are happy to serve elderly in their villages rather than live as urban migrants.