Kabir Chadha is the Founder and CEO of Epoch Elder Care, a Delhi based organization that provides professional at-home care for elderly Indians. Previously, Kabir worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and he has a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University. Kabir has had both personal and professional experience with the elderly and has conducted extensive research to understand the needs of the elderly in Asia.

1.  What motivated you, a Stanford graduate and a McKinsey Alum to start this very unique business?

I always wanted to be an entrepreneur – probably because many of my classmates from Stanford are working at Google, Facebook and other start-ups. When I left McKinsey to start my own business, I knew that I wanted to create a company that would have an impact on Indian society.

Some very personal experiences led me to see the need for professional at-home Elder Care in India. Not long ago, an elderly person close to me became very ill. During her recovery, we realized that in India, other than hiring a maid and a driver, there is no where to turn to for quality at-home caregivers in both non-medical and medical areas.

This field is exciting to me because it gives me the opportunity to both meet a real business need as well as meaningfully impact the lives of a group of people.

2. What are the major issues facing Elders in India today? 

The most pressing need is a social one. Many elderly are lonely and bored. They have a lot of idle time and want to do something meaningful with it.  Unfortunately many are not independent, and have pre-conceived notions about how one should live their lives in old age.

With more nuclear families, working couples, and changing attitudes of younger children, the elderly are lonelier than ever. 

3. What unique services does Epoch Elder Care provide? 

High quality, at-home care for the elderly is almost non-existent in India and we are committed to filling that gap. Our goal is to help the elderly age healthily and happily at home.

Our professional Elder Care Specialists provide the social support and mental stimulation that the elderly need.  We also support families to create safe and comfortable environments for their elderly people. Our services include home visits, companionship, fall proofing and medication management as well as monthly social events to get the elderly out of their homes and engaged with one another.

When people usually think about at-home care, they either think “maids.” We want to turn that perception on top of its head.  Our Elder Care Specialists highly educated professionals who have master’s degrees in fields related to elder care management like gerontology, social work and psychology. Once hired, they go through an intensive training program designed in consultation with experts like HelpAge India and the Delhi Institute of Home Economics. The training also includes Basic Life Support training, certified by the American Heart Association.  For our most recent training program, we also worked together with Panchvati – a warm retirement community in South Delhi.

The response has been enthusiastic; it has been really exciting for us.  Just today we signed up an elderly client whose daughter lives in the US.  The daughter immediately recognized the need for her elderly loved one to receive focused attention.

Events have been a big hit. Over the past three months, we have taken part in organizing a Bhajan Sandhya, an Art Jamming Session and a Christmas Party. After the Art Jamming, at which the elderly got to create paintings alongside professional artists, several elderly ladies actually took up art as a regular hobby. I love knowing that we brightened someone’s life like that.

5.  You have lived a large part of your life outside India. How easy was it for you to start a business in India? 

Leaving New York for Delhi was a scary leap to make, but it’s exciting to be back in India.  Setting up Epoch has certainly been an adventure – doing business in India is not easy – but with a positive attitude (and lots of patience) anyone has a fair chance to succeed.

6.What advice do you have for people in America who are constantly struggling to support parents in India who are unwilling to move to the US? 

That’s a tough spot to be in.  Life for the elderly can be quite challenging in India, and it is equally tough trying to help your parents from abroad. Retirement communities, though a fairly new concept in India, are slowly gaining acceptance, though most elderly do not want to leave their homes.

My advice is simple: visit them as often as possible, call regularly, and urge their grandchildren to call as well. Skype is your friend – you have no idea how video chat lights up an elderly’s face.

7. Any special message for our readers?

I would urge all those of you who want start your business in India to do so now. It’s the right time to be in India and to be a part of the India growth story.

Would be happy to talk to anyone who is considering making a similar move! Email me at kabir@epocheldercare.com

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