Nightingales Smriti Gram Opens in Karnataka to Offer Free Residential Care to 100 Elders

Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT) inaugurated the first phase of Nightingales Smriti Gram, an integrated dementia care village at Thirumagondanahalli near Doddaballapur in Bengaluru Rural district, on November 6, 2026.

The facility will provide free residential care to 100 elders with dementia from economically disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds.

Lakshmi, one of the facility’s first residents, inaugurated the facility.

Care for elders without adequate support

Lakshmi’s admission marked the beginning of an initiative aimed at providing specialised care to elders who lack adequate family or financial support.

Smriti Gram is planned as an integrated dementia care model that brings residential care, caregiver training, research and innovation together on a single campus.

The facility aims to create a dementia-friendly environment where residents can live with dignity, maintain social connections and take part in meaningful activities.

The initiative comes as access to specialised dementia care remains limited, particularly for economically vulnerable families.

Its person-centred approach focuses on the individual needs of residents rather than treating dementia as the defining aspect of their lives.

The campus will also operate as a centre for caregiver training and capacity building, with the aim of developing a skilled workforce in dementia and eldercare.

Radha S. Murthy, Managing Trustee of the Trust, said the facility was intended to support elders who were vulnerable, neglected, living alone or unable to access care because of financial and family circumstances.

Priority will be given to people aged 55 and above who have a confirmed diagnosis of dementia, especially those from economically disadvantaged families who require round-the-clock care and have limited or no caregiver support.

Preference will also be given to elders living alone, facing neglect or at risk, and those without adequate family or caregiver support.

Research and training on the same campus

Research at Smriti Gram will include work on integrating evidence-based Indian systems of medicine with contemporary medical practices.

The research will be undertaken in collaboration with the Central Ayurveda Research Institute under the Ministry of Ayush.

S. Premkumar Raja, Secretary of Nightingales Medical Trust, said the project was the culmination of a long-standing vision and nearly three decades of the organisation’s work in eldercare and dementia care.

He said the Trust hoped to develop Smriti Gram as a sustainable model of integrated dementia care that could be replicated in other parts of the country.

The long-term plan is to expand Smriti Gram into a 300-bed integrated dementia care facility.

The planned facility will include residential services, training, research and innovation.

Trust’s eldercare work

Established in 1998, Nightingales Medical Trust has undertaken several initiatives in dementia and eldercare.

These include memory clinics, dementia day-care centres, residential care facilities, helplines, caregiver training and programmes addressing elder abuse and neglect.

The Trust also runs senior citizen livelihood and empowerment initiatives.

The Trust acknowledged the support of the Azim Premji Foundation, Dr. Syed Ahmed Memorial Charitable Trust, donors and well-wishers in establishing Smriti Gram.

People seeking information about eligibility or residential care can contact Nightingales Medical Trust on 080 4242 6565.

The Trust can also be reached by email at contact@nightingaleseldercare.com and through its website, www.nightingaleseldercare.com.

Source: The Hindu