BANGALORE, INDIA – L. Basavraj, 60, lingers after a computer class at Nightingales Medical Trust, a nonprofit organization that works for the elderly in Bangalore, a city in southern India, where using initials for names is common. He is preparing for a job fair for senior citizens.
“I joined the computer classes here to learn computer and search for a new job,” he says.
He retired from his job in the transportation department of a software company.
"I left my job because I found it difficult to work for 12 or more hours per day,” he says.
But he now struggles to support himself financially.
"I very much need a job for financial aid,” he says. “I have two sons, but I do not want to beg for money. I want to earn for my own expenses."
He pauses before continuing.
"I hope to get a job in this job ‘mela,’” he says, referring to the fair.
This month, Nightingales Medical Trust held a job fair for senior citizens, a unique concept regionally and worldwide. Senior citizens who have retired say they need to go back to work in order to support themselves and have been taking classes to acquire new skills to increase their employability in today’s job market. Organizers say the job fair was a success. The event added to the trust’s range of services, from day care centers for the elderly to mobile medical services, which aim to empower senior citizens to enjoy dignified lives.
The retirement age in India is around 58 to 60 years old in India, says Dr. Radha S. Murthy, founder of Nightingales Medical Trust and one of its trustees. Both employees and employers make monthly contributions to India’s Provident Fund to save for retirement. But with inflation, many senior citizens say that the money is not enough to live on. Others who haven’t planned for their old age have no savings.
“In our country, around 87 percent of senior retired citizens do not receive pension,” Murthy says.
The trust offers a computer class to senior citizens in order to gain the skills they need in today’s job market.
Although computer class has ended for the day at the trust’s center, several senior citizens stick around after the instructor leaves. Eyes sparkle behind thick glasses as the students practice their new skills and help their classmates master the day’s lesson.
They say these skills are important as they prepare to seek new jobs at the fair held two days later.
K. Mohamed says he is looking to revive his career. The 68-year-old took voluntary retirement from his job as a mechanical engineer in 1994 for personal reasons.
At a counter inside the center, a counselor registers job seekers for the fair. She carefully listens to their queries and helps them to fill out the registration forms. In an hour, six or seven men come to register for the unique event.
Around 750 people had registered for the job fair two days before the event, Murthy says.
"There are many benefits of employing the elder, as they are more responsible, dedicated and,” Murthy says, starting to laugh, “will not be shifting soon like the younger generation."
But Premalatha Balaji, the center’s manager, says that just 18 employers had shown interest in coming to the fair for recruitment.
"We are trying very hard to reach to as many employers and encourage them to come for the fair," she says.
Their efforts paid off.
Swati Bhandary, program manager of the trust, says that the fair drew nearly 50 employers. She says that 360 additional participants registered for the fair on the day of the event, with 700 senior citizens attending in all.
S. Premjumar Raja, a trustee and the organization’s honorable secretary, says that the fair is part of the trust’s mission to empower the elderly.
"We not only assist elders to get jobs as per their skills but also provide them with appropriate training,” he says. “As per their skills, they are given training in computer operation, soft skills and other vocational training, like candle-making and other similar activities.”
There were no women in the computer class or registering for the fair. Although some women do attend these classes and events, Raja says that it’s been mostly men participating in the job search.
"Women never retire,” Raja says with a smile. “They always have household work."
He explains that this is generational.
"In the earlier generation, very few women would go out to work,” he says. “So most of the women of that generation have never worked. We are also encouraging the elder men to bring their wives as well [for various trainings provided in our center]."
Murthy says she started the trust 15 years ago exclusively for the elderly in order to bring medical services to their doorsteps.
“The elders have medical needs,” she says. “They are living longer. Moreover, now a day’s living expenses have gone up, and some children are not taking care of their retired and old parents. There is no social security for them.”
But soon, she realized that the elderly needed much more than medical services.
“Apart from financial support, they also need emotional support,” she says. “Sometimes, they also suffer from depression.”
To meet the various needs of the elderly, the trust offers many services, Murthy says.
“We have two day care centers for the elderly – one for the middle-class [population] and other for the lower-income group,” she says.
The trust also has various other initiatives to support the elderly.
“To address the issue of elder abuse, eight years ago, we set up a helpline, 1090, with the help of police in Bangalore,” she says.
For the past six years, the trust has also operated an ambulance with medicine, a doctor and a nurse. They travel to rural places every day to provide free medical treatment to low-income residents.
By offering increased access to medical care and employment, Murthy says she hopes the trust will empower senior citizens to enjoy dignified lives in their old age.
