Young at Heart initiative helps Thiruvananthapuram seniors reconnect and rediscover life

A formal launch of Young at Heart (YaH), featuring music and entertainment, is planned in the capital on October 16, giving participants an opportunity to meet and get to know one another. The initiative has been created to help senior citizens and people in their 50s build connections, explore interests and rediscover the pleasures of an active social life.

From full routines to quieter homes

The idea grew from the experience of families who watched their parents’ lives change after retirement. Priya cannot remember a time when her mother was not busy with work, social engagements, visits to friends or new books.

After retirement, however, her mother appeared to lose some of her energy and enthusiasm. “She seemed to lose some of her sparkle. She became a little inward and moody at times, as though an inertia had taken over,” Priya says.

Her outings became less frequent, and she stopped going shopping because everything could be delivered home. Her father’s preference for staying at home further reduced her opportunities to socialise.

Priya describes the shift from an active person to someone listless and diffident as “quite shocking and sad”. When she spoke to her friends about it, she found that they had similar stories about their parents.

Many of those parents had once led full and active lives but were now confined to the quiet routines of home. They had not necessarily lost their zest for life, but age had begun to affect their energy and enthusiasm to go out.

“Then it struck us that, in a few years, this could be our lives too. Why should we allow the years to steal all the colours from our lives?” says Dimple Mohan, who runs a consultancy service in the city.

Five women shape the initiative

That concern led to the creation of Young at Heart. The platform took shape when five women entrepreneurs and working professionals in Thiruvananthapuram came together to consider how they could help their parents rediscover the joy of living and approach ageing with enthusiasm.

YaH is envisioned as a platform for senior citizens and people in their 50s. Its aim is to bring people together through new friendships, new learning experiences, evenings out and opportunities for fun and recreation.

The founders believe that growing older should not require people to compromise on emotional happiness or mental well-being. “We all have successful careers, active social lives and wide networks of friends,” says Ms. Mohan, one of YaH’s founders.

She says that living with their parents allowed the founders to see how their personalities and attitudes towards life changed as they grew older, even when they were financially secure and had no major worries. That experience made the founders think that people should be able to embrace life with gusto and live it to the fullest in the company of good friends, regardless of age.

YaH is intended to help senior citizens and people in their 50s connect, forge friendships, share interests and build a community that supports more fulfilling lives. Ms. Mohan says many people have the money and time to participate in activities but are hesitant to venture out on their own.

Activities shaped by interests

The initiative plans to organise regular entertainment and recreational activities. It also hopes to create opportunities for people with similar interests to discover, share and nurture their talents.

The events will be tailored to the interests, hobbies and leisure preferences of people who register with YaH. This approach is intended to give participants a role in shaping the activities rather than placing them within a fixed programme.

The group has identified diet and nutrition, physical fitness, digital literacy and financial planning as important parts of healthy and active ageing. These areas will form part of the initiative’s effort to address the different interests and needs associated with later life.

The early registrations have already revealed a range of personal ambitions. “We had several women register with us and we asked them what has been on their bucket list,” says actor Manju Pillai, who is spearheading the initiative along with Devi Mohan, Sankari Unnithan and Maya Menon.

One woman wants to learn to speak English fluently so that she can converse with her grandchildren abroad. Another has always wanted to design dresses, while someone else wants to travel, something she could not manage while working.

“We hope to facilitate the fulfilment of some of these dreams,” Ms. Pillai says. The examples show how the initiative’s idea of recreation includes learning, creativity, communication and travel, as well as social gatherings.

Companionship across generations

YaH also hopes to involve younger volunteers over time and build bridges between generations. The volunteers could take senior citizens to the beach or the movies, or simply spend an afternoon playing chess.

The proposed activities reflect the initiative’s wider focus on companionship. They include both outings and ordinary shared time, offering older people opportunities to spend time with others rather than remain alone at home.

As age-related frailties set in, many older people become increasingly disconnected from the world around them. The resulting isolation can affect their emotional health and leave them vulnerable to depression.

Young at Heart hopes to respond first to this often-overlooked need for socialisation and companionship. Its larger purpose is to help senior citizens and people in their 50s retain a sense of connection, pursue interests they may have set aside and embrace life wholeheartedly.

Source: The Hindu