Thiruvananthapuram: The Keralam government plans to introduce certificate courses in caregiving for senior citizens from the next academic year, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Thursday.
As part of the initiative, existing caregivers will be trained, and the palliative care system operated by local bodies will be upgraded to ensure the well-being of senior citizens, Satheesan said.
The CM was addressing a session on the 'Keralam Silver Economy' project on the sidelines of the 'Reimagining Keralam' initiative, which features a series of Round Table Conferences to evolve a framework for fast-tracking transformational projects announced by the state government in the 2026-27 budget.
State Minister for Women and Child Development, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, Bindhu Krishna, was also present at the session, chaired by Dr Rathan U Kelkar, IAS, Secretary to the Chief Minister and Secretary of the Department of Senior Citizens' Welfare.
Noting that "nobody should be alone" was the government's vision, the CM said syllabi from the UK, Germany and Australia would be adapted to Keralam's socio-economic context as part of the caregiving courses.
"From the next academic year onwards, we can start these caregiving courses. All the medical colleges, nursing colleges and private hospitals with sufficient facilities can start this certificate course of six months' duration followed by one-year internship. It will lead to employment generation," Satheesan said.
Giving details of projects such as 'One Keralam, Karuthal Mission' conceived by the government for the elderly, he said Keralam was "the first state in India to set up a department for senior citizens."
"In our society, the population of youngsters is becoming very thin due to demographic reasons and brain drain. We have to factor in the demographic shift of the next 10 years while drawing up our plans," he said.
Satheesan suggested that the expertise of senior citizens could be leveraged to guide startups and that they could also serve as techno-mentors or management mentors to young entrepreneurs.
On improving care for senior citizens, he said the palliative care system operated by local bodies would be upgraded, and existing caregivers in panchayats would be provided training.
As part of the initiative, the process of creating a database of people requiring care in local bodies has already begun, he said.
The CM proposed a tripartite arrangement involving the government, the Local Self Government Department and other organisations to strengthen caregiving activities.
He said Keralam was gearing up to establish a model for elderly care by following standards set by the World Health Organisation.
Krishna, who spoke at the session, said the number of senior citizens in the state's total population was steadily increasing and that the demographic transition was often viewed as a social challenge, overlooking the significant economic opportunities it offered.
She said the core idea of a silver economy was to view a senior citizen not merely as a social welfare category or consumer, but as a person whose knowledge, experience, skills, time and financial resources could contribute to creating new employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.
"The Labour Department can play a key role in creating job opportunities for senior workers by preparing a senior talent registry. The experience of retired teachers, technicians, accountants, craftsmen, managers, professionals, and experts in various fields can contribute to society," she observed.
The minister said there was scope for developing a dedicated silver economy employment platform to bring together senior citizens and care workers seeking employment on one side, and opportunities in elderly care, home support, consultancy, mentoring and part-time employment on the other.
The three-day event, which began on Wednesday, has brought together ministers, senior bureaucrats, domain experts, representatives of government departments and agencies, regulatory authorities, knowledge institutions, industry, funding agencies and stakeholders from multiple sectors.
The event aims to give concrete shape to project proposals and set them on clearly defined implementation pathways, a Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation release said.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
