Mira Road resident Sailesh Mishra was a young marketing executive making it big in the corporate world before he switched to the social sector to bring realistic change to society. Mishra, who calls himself an accidental social worker, has been diligently working for the last 17 years to make the lives of senior citizens better and less lonely, especially for those who have dementia, Parkinson’s disease, among others.
Sandip Soparrkar, dancer, choreographer and actor |
In 2008, he founded the Silver Inning Foundation to address both micro- and macro-level issues affecting the elderly, with the aim of creating an elder-friendly world. “We envisioned providing services that are need-based. Whether someone requires a caregiver at home, a yoga instructor, training for their parents or caregivers, or sessions such as talks, lectures, and workshops on ageing, we started the organisation to offer support tailored to these specific needs,” shares the founder-president.
There has also been a rising demand for legal aid services from senior citizens—elderly people entangled in property-related issues with their children or other family members; cases where children are not taking care of ageing parents; and even in instances of grey divorces. “First, we counsel the parties by understanding what the problems are and try to resolve them through communication, as legal cases tend to get dragged on for years. Usually, the family needs to have honest conversations, so we counsel them,” he shares. However, in cases where there’s no resolution, they connect the aggrieved senior citizens with people who can help.
Over 5,00,000 people have received help from the organisation |
The organisation has also been providing dry rations for elderly individuals who can’t afford them. These care packages include tea, sugar, flour, rice, oil, and other basics required to cook simple meals. “We send friends or volunteers to check on the seniors who request us to send dry rations, as we want to help those who genuinely need it. While we deliver these packages ourselves, sometimes we contact local grocery stores and request them to supply the items, and we pay them directly,” he shares.
Mishra and his team have been working towards creating an elder-friendly world—one that provides a positive and rewarding experience, where ageing is not viewed in an inhumane way.
“We wanted to do something that creates a positive environment—something rewarding that presents ageing as a new opportunity,” he shares. To bring this vision to life, they started a talent show for the elders, which remains one of their most successful initiatives. “We organise Umang, an annual talent show for senior citizens, where they participate and have the best time!”
Sandip Soparrkar, dancer, choreographer and actor who has known Mishra for several years, shares, “Sailesh has been working with senior citizens for a long time, and the level of change he has brought into their lives is phenomenal. He helps elders with such compassion and empathy—it’s simply remarkable. And he does all of this while being both a friend and an advisor to them.”
