Old age is not a disease, a little care and caution can prevent or delay many disabilities. Keeping this in mind and the lack of specialized care available for elderly, HelpAge is now delving deeper into age care services, with regular Physio care services being provided in 12 state capitals such as Delhi & NCR, Shimla, Bhopal, Dehradun, Kolkata, Srinagar, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Lucknow, Puducherry & Chandigarh. More & more senior citizens are now receiving the much required treatment they were earlier deprived off, inhibiting their day to day movement.

In Shimla city there are three major govt. hospitals, but there is no geriatric ward in any of these hospitals. HelpAge India has started Physiotherapy Centres for elders in both urban (Vikas Nagar) and rural areas (Basantpur block, which about 40 Km away from Shimla city) treating conditions that cause disability such as musculo-skeletal diseases, back pain, arthritis, etc. HelpAge has also started its first Physiotherapy Centre in the eastern region in Kolkata. A grant was given by State Bank of India to set it up.

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Pakhu Ram, 65, is one of the first to avail the services of the newly opened Physiocare centre by HelpAge in Guwahati (Assam) a first in the north-east. Pakhu, lives on a meagre daily wage through his job as a stone cutter. He migrated to Guwahati in search of a job and now lives in Bamunimaidan`s Baikuntha Nagar in Guwahati A stone cutter by profession all his life, he has lifted heavy weight materials. This being his only source of his livelihood. With growing age, he started suffering from severe hypertension and weakness and developed chronic back pain. His only sole support was a walking stick. The back pain got aggravated due to the daily climb to his hillside dwelling. His wife does small odd jobs in neighbors houses, but still it isn`t enough to sustain their home. Pakhu is unable to afford special medication while his two children are still very young.

Since his visit to the Physiocare centre, there has been a remarkable change in his health and a considerable relief from pain. Today, Pakhu walks without a stick and is urging his community to avail the services of the centre. Guwahati has a geriatric population of nearly 1.5 lakh, therefore Physiocare is a much required need for the elderly residing there.