Shaktipreneur in Spotlight: Caregiver Saathi

Old age, terminal illness, and chronic diseases often render the sufferer dependent on a caregiver. In most cases, we tend to sympathize with the patient, whereas the caregiver’s job goes unnoticed. In this month’s “ Shaktipreneur in Spotlight “ series, we bring you the story of Bhavana Issar who is doing exceptional work in the neglected field of Caregiving through her platform, Caregiver Saathi.

“ The platform aims to bring a sense of well-being and healing for the patient and the caregiver and create an integrated ecosystem of support and companionship for the caregiver”, elucidates Issar.

Motivation for creating Caregiver Saathi

The fundamental need that Caregiver Saathi seeks to address is that caregivers are often the casualties, the hidden victims. The sacrifices made by caregivers are usually not understood by anyone.

Bhavana’s father, who passed away due to a rare neurological condition (Shy-Drager Syndrome), required total caregiving by her mother. Bhavana’s first-hand experience was that the healing and well-being of a patient primarily depend on the health and comfort of the caregiver.

She realized that urban households have fragmented family structures, and a patient’s caregiving falls on an individual, usually a woman. The caregiver is affected physically and emotionally, and this is frequently overlooked.

Bhavana also wanted to do something in her father’s memory. She had felt helpless at her mother’s predicament as the primary caregiver. Bhavana had worked as an organizational consultant and interned in-process work with Sumedhas Academy for Human context and Learning Theater, a meta lab. This experience shaped Bhavana into an empathic person. Bhavana decided to converge her education, life experiences, and work expertise into Caregiver Saathi, where family and professional caregivers get access to learning tools, spaces, and a community of experienced caregivers.

CaregiverSaathi: The Name & The Logo

Saathi means companion in Hindi. Bhavana explains the reason behind the name:

“We believe caregivers of terminally ill patients need a friend who understands, supports, and is there for them as they walk through the difficult path of supporting their loved ones,” she says.

Amethyst, considered to be a healing stone, is the colour of the company’s logo. With healing leaves in the centre going through a journey from being unhealed (light and empty) to healed (vibrant and full) surrounded by a boundary and support system (friends and family, communities, healthcare institutions, support groups, and Caregiver Saathi), their beautiful logo captures the essence of this platform.

Building the Company: A Compassionate Entrepreneurship Journey Bhavana spent significant time researching and studying the idea, creating a meaningful and relevant blueprint, deciding her role and the needs of people.

“ My biggest challenge was to shift the social narrative around well-being, healthcare, and caregiving,” she says.

She has received encouragement through her mentors, friends, and well-wishers.

The organization has tried to reach two specific groups:

Doctors, Healthcare institutions, and Medical Practitioners: Here the goal is to build a supportive community for caregivers by bringing “ care” back into healthcare. Caregiver Saathi partners with these professionals to co-create caregiving knowledge transfer, self-care tools, stress management techniques, certification programs covering self-care techniques, non-violent communication approaches, and holistic care coaching frameworks. This content is delivered through counselling Support groups, webinars, and podcasts for caregivers.

Corporates: Partnerships with corporates focus on raising awareness about creating a caregiver-friendly workplace by designing employee assistance and benefit programs that enable and support employee needs. The approach followed here includes workshop sessions, programs, counselling and support groups, curated resources, and volunteering and CSR activities.

Her Team, Her Strength

Bhavana attributes a large part of her success to her team that includes 10 key members, 5 distinguished mentors, and 8 qualified advisors.

“ We have a team of 20 ambassadors and 500+ registered volunteers who provide inputs and support through their experience, skills, and networks”, she states proudly.

Covid: Responding to the Pandemic

Covid threw up unforeseen challenges and exposed the loopholes in our system, significantly our healthcare infrastructure. Reliable information sources and a support system became the need of the hour.

“ When the second wave hit, we called out for volunteers. We have more than 850+ volunteers who contribute and help with our COVID -19 efforts,” she says.

Caregiver Saathi launched a covid response website recently and created a response in 6 parts:

• Providing verified sources for those in need of emergency care. Their app holds a data bank of 3000 verified and continuously validated information centres for oxygen cylinders, hospital beds, ambulances, and funeral services for the top 15 cities in India. This is available for all.
• Enabling people who aren’t infected and wish to help to volunteer in different capacities.
• Including care guidelines for home-based care for people with mild symptoms
• Connecting to support groups and learning programs for emotional and mental health support for distressed healthcare professionals and frontline workers
• Providing precautionary and post-recovery care.
• Enabling the provision of post bereavement care for those who have lost loved ones through financial, legal, and emotional counselling.
• The website address is https://covidhelp.caregiversaathi.co.in/

Bhavana feels that her journey has just begun. She strives to do more research and collaborate with similar organizations to learn, complement, and create a better ecosystem for caregivers.

She has clear goals.” We are keen to create awareness and sensitivity regarding caregivers, build a community of caregivers who can support each other, and leverage technology to deliver home-based care. Our long-term goal is to work with educational institutions to make the youth aware of the need for caregiving.”

She also plans to build a Learning Management System with access to a Certified Caregiver Saathi who provides individual attention and support to the caregiver through a platform of curated services (financial, psycho-social, mental health). To accomplish all her goals, Bhavana is currently seeking funding, additional volunteers, and the help of influencers, the medical fraternity, and other organizations to support her in reaching out and changing the narrative about care and caregiving in India.

Advice to New Entrepreneurs

Bhavana believes that it is vital for entrepreneurs to identify their strengths and limitations and learn from them. “ To be open to saying that I’m willing to take baby steps, learn, and have someone guide me is something I would recommend to any entrepreneur,” she advises. According to her, it is essential to strike the right balance between conviction and openness to learning. It is also necessary to be compassionate to self, retain a sense of humour, and live life to its fullest, beyond the venture.

Bhavana Issar: The Shaktipreneur

When Bhavana applied at Shakti, she was reticent about a “women’s program” and joined it out of curiosity. The rigorous process of selection appealed to her. By then, convinced that she needed help in some areas, she joined the cohort once she was selected.

“ Being a part of the STEP cohort helped me connect, co-learn, and collaborate with diverse and very supportive women”, she reminisces,” It helped to clarify my business model and tap into my strengths, especially my network.”

She loved all the Tuesday sessions on Adaptive Leadership. She found this session personally transformative. Mentorship at STEP helped her identify her strengths and convictions. She has also learned to be more patient and pragmatic in planning.

“ The STEP community was my sanctuary, a dance floor where I could let my hair down and learn and indulge myself, which was very replenishing “, she recalls fondly.

“ I was determined to give my best in all my interactions with individuals and groups in the community,” Bhavana shares about her contribution to the STEP community.

“ I was moved, proud, and surprised to be widely voted by the community for grant disbursement “, Issar remembers proudly. She feels that peer appreciation reinforced her conviction in her concept.

The design of STEP’s program, which includes empathy circles and community building tasks, helped her experience the power of Empathy and Shakti. As the program celebrates collaboration, collective success, and kindness, she felt loved and supported. She is glad she joined the program as it helped her explore and leverage her strengths.

Bhavana Issar: The Person

A food lover and travel buff, her favourite book is Seagull by Jonathan Livingstone. Bhavana draws inspiration from Randy Pausch, The American Educator. Her mantra in life is a quote by him,

“Obstacles are like brick walls. The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who do not want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people.”

Originally published at https://shaktipreneurs.org on September 10, 2021.