More detailed description video: https://fb.watch/lnUrv62MeD/

I arrived at the GWT Residential Home in Pokhara where I was greeted by one of the seniors and the team there. It was an honor of a lifetime to be greeted and meet the seniors living in this care home. I do not speak Nepali, but it was great to be able to learn about a different care home that is unique in Nepal as each person in this care home is a widow from Gurkha veterans.

As I walked into the care home, I was intrigued by the small temple they had to worship and the wide-open garden. that had a table to play some games and socialize. The space embodies Western Geriatrics with the combined efforts of the Eastern philosophy of care.

I was amazed at how intrigued the older women were as I did not speak the language, but we managed with smiles and hand-holding. They reminded me of the importance of nonverbal cues. How do we invite the community into space and balance culture and innovation? It was indeed such a beautiful moment for me to witness the combination of innovation and respect for culture here.

Every person had their own bed and their own bathroom to access. It is important for them to have their privacy in order to age in place. Again, creating an individual space for when someone is close to end of life. Even in this shared bedroom that two people had, they had created a curtain to keep privacy between the two residents for rehabilitation.

I then met Ms. Asmita, who is not the clinical manager where she used to be the nurse. I loved this as she was able to be in the same shoes as the current nurses and has experience with what support she needed during her time. She was able to increase the nurses on staff given the ratio of residents and changes in care demands.

I was then deeply honored to give my presentation to the staff members, and residents of the care home to emulate a different type of aging across cultures. You know it is not about where I am getting older but about the people around me supporting me. How do I ensure people around me are aware? 

Upon my departure, they all came out to take a photo with me and say goodbye. I was deeply honored to have met these resilient women who are paving the path on how they want to age. The median age is 90 years old and it is quite complex. Yet they are able to embrace their unique cultural dresses, traditions, and methods by being heard and supported. They have an open door policy.

All in all this care home sets an example about how vital it is to have small-scale care and starting admission to ensure better care amongst residents and culturally appropriate. My deepest gratitude to the Bihani team for connecting me and to the Gurkha Welfare Trust for allowing me to spend some days here and learn from the care you all are providing. They are paving the way with how aging in Nepal can look like to set the standard of good quality care.