SaathiShift Conducts First In-Person Cohort for Senior Citizen Companionship Training in Mangaluru
The first six-day in-person cohort of SaathiShift, a startup dedicated to providing personalized companionship services to senior citizens, was recently held in Mangaluru. This pioneering program placed a strong emphasis on learning how to care for someone else's parent with genuine empathy and unwavering responsibility.
Comprehensive Companion Training Programme
The Companion Training Programme was conducted in strategic partnership with the Luminara Group for mental health. It successfully brought together a diverse and committed group of participants who are passionate about improving elder care standards. Founder of SaathiShift, Lauren Jayapreeth, explained that the programme included six intensive expert-led sessions, a hands-on field visit, and participants who were carefully selected through a rigorous application and interview process.
Each participant was chosen based on their unique background, availability, and authentic motivation to work with the elderly population. The cohort reflected an impressively wide range of professional experiences, including healthcare professionals, teachers, caregivers, students, counsellors, and community workers. Despite their varied personal and professional journeys, all participants shared a common and profound commitment to supporting and connecting with senior citizens, with a particular focus on addressing loneliness and enhancing emotional well-being.
Expert-Led Sessions and Practical Insights
The session commenced with an opening address by Dr. Lavina M Noronha, director of Ave Maria Palliative Care and representative of the training partner Luminara. Dr. Shyam Krishnan, a physiotherapist, researcher, and assistant professor at Kasturba Medical College, delivered a highly practical session on safe mobility and fall prevention strategies. This session prompted participants to critically reflect on elder safety within their own homes and care environments.
Kripanjali Tellis Nayak, a nurse and senior living consultant, emphasised the critical importance of active listening in effective caregiving. Sudheer Pai, a Navy veteran who served in the anti-submarine warfare branch during the Kargil War, offered unique and valuable insights into the emotional realities of ageing ex-servicemen, powerfully highlighting the essential need for dignity and respect in all care interactions.
Legal Perspectives and Field Experience
Advocate Kavitha Murugesh, vice-president of the Human Rights Federation of India and assistant professor at SDM College of Business Management, along with Santhosh Peter D'Souza, an advocate and disaster management trainer, provided crucial legal and emergency response perspectives relevant to elder care. The programme also featured an insightful field visit to Ave Maria Palliative Care in Vamanjoor, where Dr. Lavina led a concluding session focused on dementia care and practical patient management techniques.
Addressing a Growing Societal Need
Lauren Jayapreeth stated that this timely initiative comes amid a rapidly growing population of senior citizens in Mangaluru. An increasing number of seniors are living alone while their families are dispersed across different cities and countries, which stresses the urgent and escalating need for trained, dependable, and compassionate companionship services.
SaathiShift was founded on the core belief that ageing with dignity should not be left to chance. A well-trained, thoughtfully matched companion can make a profoundly meaningful difference in a senior's daily life. This is not about replacing family, but rather about offering a consistent, compassionate, and professionally prepared presence when family members cannot always be physically present.
