The move to take the Caremark model to Southern India was instigated by a meeting between Kevin Lewis, CEO of Caremark Limited and Dr. Jacob Roy, Chairman of Alzheimer’s Disease International and Founder of Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India.
Dr. Roy, a Paediatrician by profession spent most of his medical career in that field, but since the distressing experience of caring for his late father with Alzheimer’s some years ago, he decided to focus on researching the disease and from there set up the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society in Kerala, treating people affected with dementia.
Over the last 24 years, Dr. Roy has worked intensively to promote understanding, treatment and care of those affected with dementia and to research Alzheimer’s disease itself.
As in the UK, Alzheimer’s is a disease affecting the older population in India. There is already a huge demand for home care, which is currently not being met, and with a population of 36 million in Kerala alone; this is presenting a significant challenge for many people.
In India, as in the UK, many young people leave the family home and move away to other parts of the country in search of jobs, leaving elderly parents or other family members to cope alone.
Lewis said: “Seeing for myself the situation in Kerala and the challenges Dr. Roy and his team are facing confirmed for me the need to bring Caremark to India on a Not-for-Profit basis.”
Greg Kuriakose Jacob, the new Operations Director for Caremark India who is also Dr. Roy’s son, has now returned to Kerala to continue working towards the launch date in mid-May, having spent a number of weeks at Caremark’s head office. Whilst there he completed the Caremark Franchisee Training Course, which gave him a thorough grounding in the Caremark model and an understanding of how high quality home care can support the most vulnerable, irrespective of their age or ability. He also visited a selection of franchisees in the Caremark network, learning how they successfully developed their businesses from launch date to current day.
He will be responsible for developing the model in Cochin in Kerala which will be operating on a Not-For-Profit basis bringing much needed care and support to many people.
Lewis concluded: “Since returning from India last month, I have been working closely with Dr. Roy to learn how we can take our model and make it work there. The potential for us to make a difference to the lives of others in India is tremendous and I am really excited to be working with Dr. Roy on this fantastic initiative.”
Published: 13 April 2015
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