Time Bank For Senior Care: Kerala Launches Innovative Pilot For People To Volunteer And Earn Credit In Return

Kerala government’s advisory body, Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC), has launched an innovative initiative, ‘Time Bank’, in the senior care space. The pilot is set to roll out today with the objective of creating a network of volunteers across the state to support the elderly. People who volunteer to assist older people will earn time credits that are redeemable later when they need assistance for themselves. A digital platform has been designed for this initiative, on which volunteers are required to record their service hours. The volunteered time will be credited to their account for future reference and use. 

Under this initiative, people can offer services ranging from cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, driving, or simply giving company to older people. Per The New Indian Express, the pilot will start with around 7000 individuals in Elikulam panchayat, Kottayam.

Reportedly, the panchayat will be provided with the website link to register both the elderly and the volunteers. The interface may be updated later based on users’ feedback, and an app may also be developed later.

What Details Do Seniors Need To Provide?

To register on the Time Bank website to avail of volunteers’ assistance, the elderly are required to provide their name, address, phone number, email ID, and police verification details. The admin will verify the details, and then only users will be able to access their account, update their location, and select the service they want to avail of from the ‘select service’ option. The website will show the volunteers available at the nearest location. The senior will select a volunteer, and a request will be sent to them.

However, for urgent assistance needs, the platform also has an emergency call feature. It will alert the nearest palliative care centre with the details of the needy person and ask for urgent support.

What Details Do Volunteers Need To Provide?

The registration process is the same for volunteers, including providing personal details and police verification. Once verified and approved, they need to update their location and select the service they want to offer. Then, they will be issued ID cards.

When a request is sent to them, they will have the freedom to accept or decline. After accepting the request, they will have to record their start and end OTP to keep a record of their time in the Time Bank. They can track their volunteered time on the website’s dashboard. They would also have the option to rate the seniors based on their interaction with them through the ‘rate elder’ feature on the website.

This initiative aims to create an ecosystem that can foster a culture of elder care without involving a monetary cost.