A platform for the elderly

Seniors First, an aggregator of senior care services in India, is an online marketplace launched by Dr Mamta Mittal to provide excellent and accessible resources that improve the quality of life for seniors, their caregivers, and the community. Seniors First offers one click access to premium senior-care tools, services and products. An interview with Dr Mittal:

What led you to launch the website?
The Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdowns have hit older adults harder than other age groups. Besides being more vulnerable to the complications and higher mortality, suddenly; their daily routines were disrupted and access to care was cut off. They faced difficulty in adapting to technologies like telemedicine, and isolation led to loneliness, anxiety and depression. My parents were one of them, stuck indoors for eight months straight.

Since my parents and I were ignorant of any information or access to senior care services available in the vicinity, we started listing the services required by them and realised that for each service they required, we needed to download a different app, and each had a different way of working. It was impossible to manage. I am a doctor and already aware of problems faced by elderly population, and suddenly I realised a gap in the market.

I decided to build an all in one user-friendly elder care app Seniors first (seniorsfirst. in) where all services are provided by verified service providers, and are available at a click of a button at their doorsteps. Same app must have medicine reminders, care, community, and engagement tools. So, our parents need to learn using only one app and get help whenever required, in a single click. This is how Seniors First was born.

Tell us about the services.

Seniors first provides 360-degree elder care:

• Medical services - Emergency care, ambulance services and hospital admissions, home care solutions; Home attendants, nurses, doctors, medical equipments (rent or sale), home delivery of medicines, blood test (home collection)
• Non-medical Services - Home Maintenance, Home Security, Legal & finance, Daily assistance; Grocery, car maintenance, couriers and gifts, cabs, astrology, holistic and wellness, beauty and spa, funeral services, etc.
• Senior care products and devices
• Entertainment and online events, webinars and educational programs

What are the major issues in healthcare faced by seniors?
Considering the scale of the problem, we recommend public partnership in meeting the needs of elderly demographic. This includes tele-consultation, online medical appointments, e-pharmacy, lab and diagnostics, tele-physiotherapy, etc. Organised healthcare system will bring transparency. We propose a Central EMR system and cashless payments for ease of use for all elders. The accurate data will help our government to allocate an appropriate budget for healthcare spending on geriatric care.

Out of the many, the key challenges faced by elderly population in accessing healthcare in India include Physical barriers - reduced mobility, declining social engagement, and the limited reach of the health system; Health affordability constraints - limitations in income, assets, financial protection offered for health expenditures; Promoting home care solutions aiming at active ageing and preventive care, making meaningful health insurance compulsory, particularly during this pandemic; and Subsidise Essential and life-saving Medicines.

Please explain how the platform is user-friendly.
Seamless user interface, large fonts, bilingual-English and Hindi, Search bar makes it easy to navigate pages, look for options, and book services. Customers can use chatbot, call or email us directly for inquiry or booking the services. Our tech team is working 24/7 to provide a great user experience.