Social Welfare, CIHSR sign MoU for training geriatric caregivers

Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 18 

The Department of Social Welfare, Nagaland has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Christian Institute of Health Sciences (CIHSR) for running an elderly care training programme. 

The MoU was signed on March 18 by the Director of Social Welfare, Tosheli Zhimomi and Director of CIHSR, Dr Sedevi Angami, at a programme held at the CIHSR. Commissioner and Secretary, Social Welfare, Martha R Ritse, was also present. 

The training programme is being sponsored by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment via the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY), a scheme targeted at improving the quality of life of senior citizens. According to the Social Welfare Department, it tied up with the CIHSR to train geriatric caregivers with the latter as the skill/training provider and the former as the nodal state agency. It is a certificate course of six months duration with an intake capacity of 20 trainees per batch. 

Commissioner and Secretary Martha R Ritse said that the collaboration aims to create an “ecosystem” of care for the elderly encompassing various needs, including addressing issues like depression and decreased mobility. She highlighted the increasing need for elderly care in the state due to societal changes and a declining traditional family support. Besides, she hoped that the initiative would create employment opportunities and positively impact the wider community.

According to the CIHSR Director, Dr Sedevi, geriatric care is increasingly becoming crucial in a world marked by declining birth rates and increasing elderly populations.  Even in the medical profession, he said that doctors are not geared towards managing the elderly laregely owing to time constraints and lower financial incentives. 

He said that geriatric care is not just a medical issue, but a societal one, requiring community involvement and support.