Our visit to Dignity Foundation, Hyderabad
Imagine a group of young-at-heart old people coming together to dance and play! What would be the atmosphere of such a room? Team NCEAN had a chance to find that out when they visited the Dignity Foundation in their office in Hyderabad on 11th April 2025. They were greeted by an involvement that was energetic and driven. From the outside, the senior citizens at the Dignity Centre looked normal – white haired and wrinkled faced – but when the Zumba instructor put on popular Bollywood numbers and started his session, the senior women eagerly matched his steps in every way. Yes, Zumba for them was about physical activity but it was something more than that. It was their way of saying that they long to be engaged beyond the mundaneness of life. It was their way of saying that old age for them was not about mourning but about celebration, not about isolation but about connection, not about perfection but about being playful and childlike with their imperfections. They did take occasional breaks in between the pop Bollywood songs but quickly bounced back to groove again. When the session got over, the old women thanked the Zumba instructor and wondered if he enjoyed his session with them the way he does with the youngsters that he teaches – a question that reflects their longing for an intergenerational connect but a realization that their age might be seen as a barrier for such a connect to happen. In such a scenario, facilitation of such a connect and human care professionals who facilitate that connect become crucial.
When we sat down to talk to them, they shared about their background with a lot of intent – a few of them had worked in the education department and one of them said that she was pursuing fashion designing at this age!
They mentioned that apart from Zumba, they come to the centre to engage in Yoga and Meditation, they involve themselves in painting on the canvas and play board games such as Scrabble. They said that it was important for them to be involved in such activities to keep themselves well and avert the risk of health complications in the last phase of their lives. The centre for them was a space to rejuvenate themselves physically, mentally and emotionally. A few bank officials from a certain bank happened to visit them to explain the various products and services offered by the bank – they listened to it intently but one got a sense that they looked for a financial understanding that is much more personalized and tailored for them. They mentioned that they face certain difficulties in convincing other people of their age group to come to the centre – they noted that sometimes there is a certain rigidity in people of their age to step out of their house. Another reason was that a lot of times only one person cannot come without a companion. Yet another reason included discouragement that they receive from their family members. They remarked that a lot of people of their age had no visitor in their house and nobody to converse with. They also mentioned that simple aspects such as the hot summer temperature and the climbing of stairs can become a hindrance for them to step out of their house and participate – underscoring the importance of creating enabling and accessible systems to ensure their participation in day-to-day activities.
After the tea break, they continued their play time by playing a game of scrabble. As they participated in the game, one could sense their childlike excitement and curiosity as they formed one word after another. The speed with which they were playing the game was remarkable. One of them was aware of the online scrabble app that allows for checking if a certain word is in existence. It was in those moments of involvement that they forgot how old they were and the imperfections of their body. Game time became a time for them to bond in simple yet profound ways. With every word that they formed on the scrabble board, it was as if they were saying that they old age is not an age of idleness and that they looked forward to live and live fully. It was as if they were saying that they don’t need our sympathy, but they need our engagement – an important reminder to become individuals who contribute to a culture of care. As the session ended, one of them remarked that they wanted to try new things apart from scrabble – demonstrating that age is simply a number!