January 2007 saw the opening of the first Elderly Welfare Centre in Keelalathur. These centres, set up by the Vellore Rural Community Trust (VRCT) in partnership with RUHSA (Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs), provide a haven for some of the poorest senior villagers to meet, make friends, enjoy activities and eat a midday meal provided by local village women. Since 2007, five more centres have opened in other villages. Four of the six centres are supported by FOV UK, the other two by FOV Sweden.
At Seetharampet village, the elderly welfare centre is combined with a kindergarten so there is a heart-warming interaction between the generations. The elders enjoy various joint activities with the children including playing in the sandpit, parachute games and colouring. The benefits of mixing the ages are enormous for both age groups and the community value for their elders has increased as they are seen in a new light.
Each centre provides work and an income for local women who cook the food as well as support for the elderly and now 120 vulnerable and previously isolated senior villagers are better supported by their own community.
The community occupational therapist (an innovative post started by VRCT) visits weekly to carry out exercise classes and has started an income generation scheme, enabling the elderly members to supplement their meagre incomes in a sociable setting. The benefits of socialising and undertaking small projects like paper bag making, flower knotting and other crafts have lifted their spirits. The local health aide gives basic health talks and RUHSA are able to co-ordinate and provide much needed free health care for the participants.
Pastoral care, counselling and education sessions, prayer and bible stories help the elders in enhancing their faith and coping with daily life. A study by a medical sociology student to evaluate the impact of the elderly care centres on mental health found that elders from the community have 11.6 times higher risk for depression than the elders from the welfare centres.
This scheme not only provides support for the most vulnerable local elderly population, but does so by providing employment for the village women who run the centres. Some income from the Farmers’ Clubs goes towards supporting these centres and the remainder is paid for by Friends of Vellore UK.
Last year we sent a grant of £10,285 to cover the costs of the four centres we sponsor. Of this total, £7,437 pays for the midday meals for all who attend, and evening meals for the most deprived, and £1,707 covers the cost of the caretaker, cook and helper at each centre. We would be grateful for any contributions towards these costs. It costs £91 (just under £8 a month) to cover the cost of the weekday meal for one elder for a year and the total cost of the annual picnic is £260.
Friends of Vellore UK 