Our Work
Healthcare Programme
OUR WORK
Mental Health
Saarthak’ is a community-based initiative for the Mental Wellbeing of Elderly, in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), a leader in the area of mental health, with the ‘National Programme for Health Care of Elderly’ (NPHCE) providing technical support.
The initiative aims to:
- Build capacity of community health workers, informal caregivers and Institutional care giver with objective to enable non- specialized health work force and community care givers in early identification of mental health issues among seniors
- Enhance sensitization/ awareness on mental health issues of older population
- To raise awareness and sensitization among community and old age homes residents, managers and staff on common mental health issues like depression, general anxiety and dementia.
The initiative will impart training to various categories of non-specialised health workers and community caregivers through customised modules for each specified category.
A. Non-Specialist Health Workforce: This group includes frontline healthcare workers such as ASHAs, ANMs and CHOs in Health and Wellness Centres. The frontline health workforce is the core unit of a healthcare delivery system and the primary point of contact for health-seeking. The project reaches out to this non-specialist workforce with the support of relevant health authorities and NPHCE.
B. Informal Caregivers: The pool of informal caregivers is sizeable and has a context of family and neighbourhood. This segment is being approached through Senior Citizen Associations, Elder-Self-Help-Groups, Elder Helpline, etc.
C. Institutional Caregivers: Building the capacity of caregivers in senior care facilities such as senior homes, senior care centres, etc., is essential for comprehensive care of the elderly.
Watch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-BIhso_OWg
To build further on its commitment towards providing mental health support to senior citizens, HelpAge India has also entered into a partnership with the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), New Delhi.
This collaboration will focus on:
🧠 Strengthening access to mental health services for seniors
📚 Advancing research and knowledge sharing with a focus on brain health
👩🏫 Organising training programmes to boost mental health care capacity
📲 Leveraging technology to enhance mental health literacy and promote help-seeking behaviour
80,000+
Telehealth treatments provided across India
60,000+
Elder beneficiaries registered
85
Villages covered by every unit
