On the morning of March 17, our National Alarm Centre (NAC) received a call from the attendant of our member, Ms M. Adhikari, saying that she was unwell. Ms S. Malakar, Shift Supervisor and Member Care Officer at the NAC, Mr M. Halder, request the MCA on duty, R. N. Sharma to visit her. He found our member with breathing difficulties and very fatigued. Our MCA checked with the member’s daughter who was present there, asked the NAC to declare a Code Red and send an ambulance. The member’s daughter said that she had e-mailed an EM Bypass hospital for a vacant bed and was awaiting confirmation. Sharma knew that our Zonal Co-ordinator, Mr S. Sarkar, was present in the same hospital, helping with the member vaccinations. He called Mr Sarkar and requested him to check if there was a free bed. In a few minutes he received a call that it was available and that he should rush her to the emergency ward where he would be waiting for them. Mr Sharma accompanied the member and her daughter to the hospital emergency and got her admitted. As she was on dialysis with several other complications, she was in the hospital for a few days and our MCAs stayed in touch with the doctor and the member’s relatives, keeping them posted with the developments. When she was well and ready to be released, our MCA accompanied her back home. Ms Adhikari is now doing well and is back to her normal routine.

Support Elders Impact: We give our heart to care for elders

For our members, Mr and Ms A. K. Ghosh, the news could not have been worse. Ms S. Ghosh tested positive for Covid-19 and her doctor arranged for immediate hospitalisation. Once our NAC was informed, our member care associates promptly took charge at two centres: the hospital and her home, where Mr Ghosh was all by himself. At the hospital, we spoke to her doctor and ensured that our member was comfortable and kept constant touch with the treating doctors.

We also allayed the concerns of her daughter and son-in-law who live overseas and were desperate to fly down and assured them that Mr Ghosh would be taken care of and all his requirements met. Even as that was being organized, Mr Ghosh started complaining of Covid symptoms. A test showed him to be mildly positive too but the doctor said that he could stay in home quarantine. We organised an official inspection and got the necessary clearance for him to stay at home.

Meanwhile the domestic help stopped coming. Mr Ghosh now needed Support Elders to deliver 100 per cent care. We organised a trained nurse, capable of managing a Covid patient, equipped her with PPEs. For a fee, the lady agreed to take charge of meals, domestic chores and nursing, under our supervision.

In the hospital, Ms Ghosh took a turn for the worse too and was shifted to ICCU with severe breathing difficulties. We kept constant touch with both the hospital authorities and the family, who were kept abreast of the member’s condition. Ms Ghosh improved gradually and is now back home. We took care of her release, the finances and paper work and brought her home.

Her much relieved daughter sent us a WhatsApp message expressing confidence that, with Support Elders around, her parents would be well taken care of.

Support Elders Impact: We deliver what we promise and more for that is the Support Elders service model

No, this is not an excerpt from a SR (Satyajit Ray) plot. It is a real life SE story featuring Prof. Bhattacharyya. He is a man far beyond his erudition and great eminence. Comfortable living by himself in his South Kolkata home, the hero in our story manages tricky medical conditions, while still serving as honorary President of the Indian Centre for Space Physics (ICSP).

Beginning of June, however, things turned a trifle uncomfortable because he had breathing difficulties and suspected some nerve problem. Support Elders was, of course, right beside him and, as advised by his doctor, got him admitted to a well-known hospital in South Kolkata for a checkup. There were worrying issues: a nerve problem, a lung infection and the MRI scan also showed clots in the brain. Not a good position for someone with no relatives in Kolkata and just a few students. Or did this really matter?

Support Elders became the family that he needed, stayed with him right through the hospital stay and kept in touch with the doctors and hospital, managed all tests and report collections, ensured that all medications were available and kept his relatives posted. He even discussed the expenses of treatment with the Indian Centre for Space Physics, which took care of substantial costs.

Support Elders is happy to talk to him and his doctor every day, keeping both informed and keeping the relatives posted about developments.

Support Elders Impact: We give our heart to care for elders

A day after Amphan ravaged the city, drinking water that had been stored by our member, Ms Banerjee, fast depleted and soon she was left without drinking water as there was power outage in her area. As soon as her daughter called up the Support Elders NAC, our staff immediately called up Ms Banerjee and assured her that any essential item that she required would be arranged. Our staff member went off to procure drinking water, but all nearby general stores and medicine shops were out of stock. Finally, our staff managed to get 8 litres of water from a medicine shop in a narrow alley. But that was only half the battle won. It was even more challenging for him to reach the water to Ms Banerjee, as uprooted trees, electric poles, and torn or dangling wires blocked the road to Ms Banerjee’s residence. Not one to give up, he managed to reach Ms Banerjee’s residence after an hour through narrow bylanes. On reaching, he found that there was no water for other uses as well. He immediately arranged for another 40 litres of water.

Support Elders Impact: We give our heart to care for elders