7 minute read
Rohini Gonsalves- Supporting the Elderly with 'Sevarat'
Sevarat, meaning ‘being in service’, is a dedicated senior care service provider offering timely, reliable, and professional services to meet every single need of the elderly in their own homes. It was founded by Ms. Rohini Gonsalves in October 2015.
Rohini is a postgraduate in marketing, sales management, and sales promotion. She spent 13 years in Mumbai, working in the telecom industry and was heading national operations from 2008 to 2013, after which she came to Goa. When she started looking out for home care-givers for her mother who fell ill in 2013, she really struggled with the helplessness of not being able to find any reliable service provider.
Rohini’s firsthand experience of the heart-breaking dearth of professional service providers to care for the elderly in Goa inspired her to do something about it. Her quest was to find the best way to cater to the increasing demand for senior healthcare. After immense observation, inquiry, research, and surveys, she finally concluded that the elderly and their families needed someone to care for them with compassion and dignity. This very need for service providers to care for the elderly gave birth to Sevarat.
Sevarat is the only service provider in Goa which focuses exclusively on geriatric care. Most senior care service providers in Goa are still getting their bearings together, in terms of bringing about a professional approach. Most importantly, Sevarat moved from the traditional transactional model introduced by nursing bureaus and brought in a relationship-based model, wherein they have an annual subscription and a lifetime of association with clients.
It was the trust Mrs. Machado, a client from Taleigao put in Sevarat on 7th January 2016, that gave Rohini the confidence that there were a lot of takers for what Sevarat had to offer. It was challenging in the beginning as they didn’t have an office and no references to rely on, so customers had apprehensions about letting staff into their homes. However, their existing customers kept referring them to others, thus helping them to grow. Without having a precedent to follow, Sevarat had to set its own benchmarks and keep growing from there.
Given the fact that Rohini is a first-generation entrepreneur, with neither healthcare nor workforce management as her area of expertise, she had to scale quite a few mountains to get her act right.
In order to put seniors on the world map, Sevarat is organizing a Guinness World Record attempt on the 21st of August, where hundreds of seniors will be dancing together in one place at the same time. The idea behind this initiative called ‘Time of Your Life’, is to give senior citizens a time of their lives. Postretirement, most people get resigned to a very debilitating version of their earlier lives. Thus, by organising the dance, not only will the seniors have a ball of a time, but will also have the chance to set a new Guinness World Record. Creating history and leaving a legacy of accomplishments is extraordinary for any human being. Sevarat believes that our elderly deserve to be remembered with pride.
The more services Sevarat creates, its potential to do more increases. They wish to launch more services appropriate to the needs of seniors’. They aim to grow geographically and more importantly, they want to be a brand to be reckoned with in the area of home care for the elderly in Goa.
They are in the process of registering the Sevarat Foundation, which is a non-profit subsidiary of Sevarat Healthcare and Nursing Pvt. Ltd. They intend to cater to the needs of those who need other kinds of assistance and also to care for those who have no one to care for them.
Having served customers in almost every nook and corner of Goa, right from Pernem in the North to Paroda in the South, the staff at Sevarat are professionally qualified, well trained, and groomed. They have been sensitized to address the needs of the elderly, especially those who suffer from mental illnesses, to give them an empowering and dignified perspective of life.
Rohini says that keeping the elderly happy and healthy is not only the responsibility of their children. The extended family, neighbours, friends, and the community as a whole need to take the initiative to be there for the elderly and make their twilight years an enjoyable experience rather than making it feel like a period of limitation and control.
Also, people need to let go of the paranoia that some untoward incident/accident may take place the minute one takes an elderly person out. Keeping elderly people confined to their homes denies them the opportunity to engage in social interaction and other fun activities.
After registering as a member by purchasing an annual membership, a person can avail of any or all the services offered by Sevarat, whenever required, through the course of the year. One pays for only the services which one avails of. While the fees are collected in advance, they are refundable if unused subject to a 24-hour notice. One can log on to www.sevarat.in to register a new member and manage/book services online. Sevarat is also available on WhatsApp 24x7 on +91-8329857965.
Services Provided By Sevarat
Some of the services provided by Sevarat include:
Emergency Assistance - While the best number to call in case of an emergency in India is 112, the Sevarat 24x7 number +91 8329857965 is also available for any emergencies involving elderly people.
Outdoor Assistance - For elders who wish to go out but require a companion for assistance, a Sevarat assistant will help them run errands, visit hospitals and family, do shopping, complete paperwork, and purchases, etc. Sevarat can also provide transportation with a hired vehicle for a small additional fee.
Diagnostics - A technician will come to the residence of the person and collect samples. If the elderly person must be taken for a test, an assistant will accompany them. The patient can also be provided with a hired vehicle for transportation.
Home Care - This includes non-medical assistance, i.e. to move around, have meals, bathe, and use a washroom. In these circumstances, services of a male or female caretaker, for either the day or the night, can be provided. A resident caretaker can also be provided. In the event the family finds it difficult to provide food for the caretaker, Sevarat can provide them their meals too.
Sevarat’s caretakers have undergone para-medical training and can monitor vitals, administer insulin and oral medication, dress wounds, etc. apart from personal hygiene, basic exercises, and mobilisation.
administering injectable medication, monitoring/ observing vitals, administering other medical procedures, in addition to the tasks performed by a normal caretaker, a qualified nurse is appointed to provide specialized assistance and deliver hospitallike monitoring at home. Home nursing is available in day, night, or resident options. Sevarat can provide meals for home nurses as well.
Physiotherapy - The elderly invariably need various types of physiotherapy treatments. Once the schedule and frequency of the physiotherapy are agreed upon, a physiotherapist from Sevarat will visit the patient’s residence and provide them with the required treatment.
Counselling - Most senior citizens require a listening ear - the need to be heard. They have challenges accepting their physical, mental, and emotional conditions. They need psychological support to adapt to their reducing abilities. Some need a confidante while others need a professional. Both are catered to by a professionally trained counsellor.
Medicines and Surgical supplies - Prescription medicines, diapers, and other supplies are home delivered. One can get into a subscription for medicines and can have the medicines delivered on a weekly/monthly basis.
home delivered through the Sevarat delivery partners.
Handyman Services - Taking care of the house can be daunting for the elders, especially with limited options of professional service providers. Sevarat is tied up with vendors for Housekeeping, Pest Control, House Maintenance, Plumbing, Electrical, and Electronic Repairs and Maintenance.
