The officials of Navjiwan Vihar are making sure that senior citizens get all the essentials.
Senior citizens across the country have been confined to their homes amid the lockdown to tackle the spread of coronavirus with some of them having no caretakers or means to get essential supplies. To tackle this, many NGOs, social trusts and community welfare groups are doing their bits at different places to support the elderly.
The Residents Welfare Association of Navjiwan Vihar in South Delhi has taken upon itself the responsibility to make sure senior citizens who live alone get basic essentials at their doorsteps.
The RWA has close to 270 households with 1,100 residents. 20% of the residents are senior citizens who live alone.
Dr Ruby Makhija, secretary of the RWA, said the colony has developed a support programme where each senior citizen is assigned a volunteer -- a resident of the same colony. The volunteer makes a list of all their needs, and then helps them with essential things like bill payments, getting medical supplies, and groceries among other things.
During the lockdown, access to healthcare has been one of the biggest challenges for the senior citizen community here.
Dr Brijlal Khatriya and his wife, both senior citizens, said that having their medical supplies taken care of is a big blessing.
They get medicines - both allopathic and homeopathic -- delivered to their doorstep at least twice a week.
While all deliveries are made at the gate, a team of guards and security personnel have been deputed to ensure doorstep delivery for senior citizens.
Kishan Lal Bhatia, another resident, was delighted to know that he could get most of his supplies within the colony, without him having to step out.