Telecare service for senior citizens launched

NEW DELHI, INDIA: To cater to the growing number of elderly people living alone in urban cities, a personalised telecare service which helps senior citizens to manage their health and safety while staying connected with family was launched here Tuesday.

'HelpSOS' offers services like medication and doctor appointment reminders as well as informing the family of an elderly living alone in case of an emergency through automated calls, SMS or email on a daily basis.

"Once you have registered on www.helpsos.in and provided us with the details, an exclusive number would be provided to the person which he can use to avail the service," Sri Ram, co-founder and CEO of HelpSOS told IANS on the sidelines of an event organized by HelpAge India to address challenges of urban elderly.

"This service is present across India in 11 regional languages as well as English," he added. The services are offered under three categories, health reminders; which include medication, vaccination and doctor appointment reminders.

Care calls, under which the elderly remain connected with their family members, offer an automated call, daily requests confirmation of the senior's well-being and notifying the family if the person is unwell or does not respond to the calls. The third is the emergency notification, which allows a senior to notify multiple family members when an unexpected event occurs anywhere, anytime.

According to HelpAge India, an estimated 100 million elderly live in India and by 2025, 40 per cent of the population, over 75, is likely to live alone and therefore there is need to focus on the needs of the urban elderly.