When The Elderly Are The Target

SECURITY CONTROL MEASURES: A DETERRENT AGAINST CRIMES

The recent spate of heinous crimes committed against the senior citizens of the city of Kolkata has set alarm bells ringing across different quarters. As conscientious member of society Porosh too felt the urge to address the growing menace in a proactive manner by providing 24*7 security support to the elderly citizens from remote location.

A Typical Situation

Very recently, in our locality an elderly person (let us say, Mr. Das) and her daughter were robbed off several lakhs of rupees in cash in broad daylight. Although there was a brief scuffle with the intruders yet the father daughter duo was overpowered. Their hands and legs were tied-up with one of the robbers standing in front of them with a revolver. Once they got hold of the bounty the assailants scampered in their bikes. Yet to recover from the shock by the timeMr. Das raised an alarm but it was too late.

In due course police arrived and investigation started. It was not a complicated case for them to resolve and the guilty were apprehended in a week’s time.

Our Learnings

It is a different story that after the incident Mr. Das installed CCTV to fortify the security of his residence. But this begs a fundamental question. Should we necessarily await a mishap to befall us before realizing the necessity of taking proactive measures for our own safety? In most of the cases it seems to be so.

Generally there is a sense of blissful ignorance. We tend to believe that such incidents will never happen to us. Only when we are at the receiving end that the realization of securing ourselves arises.

Porosh’s experience over the years suggest that CCTv acts as a deterrent even if no one in particular keeps a vigilant eye on the screen round-the-clock.

With 24*7 surveillance there is no assurance of crimes not being committed against the hapless and unguarded. Is it not commonplace,as we get to know through social media, how often CCTV installed at different locations of a house enable pinning down miscreants?

However, it is not uncommon that the CCTV are destroyed, or wires are disconnected to prevent the perpetrators of crimes getting detected. As a result, it becomes indeed difficult to bring to task the wrongdoers.

Conclusion

In the light of above, Porosh has the ability to install intruder alarm control system with panic button facility along with 24*7 surveillance from remote location.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PROVIDING 24x7 EMERGENCY SERVICE

Introduction

On October 9th, this year, a day after Vijaya Dashami, around 7.30 am we received a call from Mr. Raju Baker (name changed). He spoke at a frantic pace. All that we could understand is that he needed Porosh’s help in providing Emergency Service. His ailing mother had collapsed on the floor. Raju was too perplexed to take a decision on his own.

Action Begins

Immediately upon receiving the phone call, Team Porosh swung into action. First, the Team quickly decided to send a trained nurse to address the immediate need of providing basic medical aid to Mrs. Baker. Being fully aware of the post Puja blues and city of Kolkata gradually limping back to routine life, the most dependable of nurses was contacted. She responded in the affirmative and within half an hour flat she was on her way to the client’s residence on Rawdon Street. She reached the spot in another half an hour from receiving the call. It was 8.30 am.

Almost parallel another team member contacted the service provider, empanelled with Porosh, for ambulance. The first person to be contacted had the mobile phone switched-off. The second person was a bit apologetic and said that the day after Durga Puja it is difficult to provide an ambulance service at 7.45 am. Although frustrating yet under such stressful situation one needs to maintain patience. Not to let loose of composure is the key. The third service provider promptly responded and AC ambulance with life support system was dispatched. By 9 am the ambulance reached the spot.

Meanwhile, the Team Porosh after arranging for the nurse and ambulance decided to pay visit to Raju and also meet his bedridden mother. By the time they arrived at the spot it was 9.45 am. The nurse was feeding Mrs. Baker after having removed her soiled clothes. Raju was still visibly perturbed, seated beside his mother. He informed Porosh that the family physician is unable to come and hence, she may have to be admitted to a nursing home.

When informed that the ambulance was already waiting he could not believe his ears. He was speechless for a moment and then thanked us profusely. A friend of his told Porosh that they had never expected such responsiveness and seamless execution when the Durga Puja had just got over.

Conclusion

The purpose behind sharing this incident is to highlight that having committed oneself to 24*7 Emergency Service calls for extreme alacrity, level headedness and also proactive thinking. The service providers cannot afford to be lax and nervous. Since time is of essence, decisions have to be taken and executed upon quickly. And this where Porosh stands out.

ROLE OF A CAREGIVER FOR ELDERS

Introduction

A few days ago we received a call around 8.30 am. A lady spoke hastily, “I need an ayah for 12 hours a day for a month for taking care of my ailing father.” She paused for a moment and then continued, “Well, you see, I feel a caregiver can also do the job. There is no need for an ayah even if it is going to be a tad expensive.” We were a bit confused and irritated. With due politeness we asked, “Madam, are you sure your father needs a caregiver and not an ayah?” Pat came the reply, “Dono same hi toh hai. I believe a caregiver is a more sophisticated version of an ayah.” We kept quiet for a moment and then explored with her the reasons for which she needed caregiver assistance. To cut the long story short, we realized the importance of conveying to our readers the role of a caregiver for the elderly.

Roles of a Caregiver

1. Assisting with personal care: bathing and grooming, dressing, toileting, and exercise

2. Basic food preparation: preparing meals, shopping, housekeeping, laundry, and other errands

3. General health care: overseeing medication and prescriptions usage, appointment reminders and administering medicine

4. Mobility assistance: help with getting in and out of a wheelchair, car or shower

5. Personal supervision: providing constant companionship and general supervision

6. Transportation: driving to and from activities, running errands, and help getting in and out of wheelchair-accessible vehicle

7. Emotional support: being a stable companion and supporter in all matters personal, health-related and emotional

8. Care for the elderly: orienting or grounding someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, relaying information from a doctor to family members

9. Back-up care (or respite) services: providing other caregivers a break

10. Home organization: help with organizing, packing or cleaning for a trip, or general house care and cleaning

11. Health monitoring: following a care plan and noticing any changes in the individual’s health, recording and reporting any differences

Conclusion

Thus, it is quite evident that the role of caregiver requires specialized skills set which comes only through training and practice. It also calls for certain degree education preferably graduation, or how else is a caregiver is going to provide an elderly person necessary emotional support? The scope of caregiver’s role is quite vast as it encompasses not only assisting with personal care but also home organization. Obviously, in this context the role of an ayah is usually limited to assisting with personal care and mobility assistance.