11 November,2009 07:07 AM IST | | Soma Das
Urban professionals strapped for time can sign up for a new subscription service that provides outdoor services for your parents
A stranger can't quite replace your presence, but when you find yourself in a fix, unable to juggle professional responsibilities and that visit to the bank you had to accompany your parent on, a new city service might come in handy.
Mayau00a0CARE offers a staff of volunteers to help senior citizens in activities ranging from opening an account, withdrawing money, grocery shopping, emailing documents, accompanying them to watch a play, paying their bills and taxes, taking them for a walk, even being with them at a social function or a day trip.
How it started: Manjiri Gokhale Joshi, CEO of Maya CARE, worked in the corporate sector and was keen on starting a chat service for senior citizens. She finally decided on a utility service for the elderly.
They have a team of 25 women volunteers in Mumbai and Pune, and plan to extend the service to Delhi and Bangalore soon. "Parents are often forced to wait for their children to help them, or carry out tasks alone. We wanted to provide the company of responsible people. Our staff includes graduates as well as students who are happy to devote time to the elderly," says Joshi.
How to avail of the service: A subscription can be purchased by a relative or a well wisher for the senior citizen. It entitles the senior citizen to call on the Maya CARE helpline and request a serviceu00a0 (from 10 am to 6 pm), which is followed by a visit by a representative. The Rs 250 membership covers one visit by a representative within six months and a subscription of Rs 1,000 covers five visits within 6 months. Check with staff for identification documents.
Call: 9594073475 / 9552510411
Log on to: www.mayacare.com
