siliconindia | | March 202119neighbours and should they wish, it will also be accessible to their friends and family. "They should be able to use the technology platform to do everything they wish to, whether it is booking a seat for a film, sending an invitation to another friend in the same community asking to book his/her seat, while also notifying their children about it. The idea behind developing this technology platform is to reduce distances while ensuring our resident's privacy," explains Mohit. The team that makes it POSSIBLE Great work isn't possible without a great team, and Columbia Pacific Communities is proud of its members, whether its doctors, nurses, drivers, housekeeping staff, cooks, service personnel, operations teams and others. Hence it ensures that people offering the most critical services stay within the communities. But where the costs are much higher, the staff stays at homes near the community rented by the company. "Our teams are generally led by Resident Managers and are divided into departments like security, housekeeping, engineering, nursing, gardener and others, mostly staying within the community for easy access," says Mohit. To ensure utmost safety, Columbia Pacific Communities does the background verification of every employee at the community level. The VOID that needs FILLINGHaving all the necessary licenses required to operate senior living communities in India (RERA, food safety and sanitation and basic clinic license), Columbia Pacific Communities has footed its roots at the right place. However, unlike the West, the ecosystem in India is not highly regulated and there is much that needs to be done to promote senior living communities in the country. Hence the company and few others together have created Association of Senior Living in India (ASLI). ASLI engages with the government on various issues pertaining to senior living, whether it's allocating a land for the community within the city, or higher pay to the maid and cooks in the structure form due to the inclusion of GST, which they wouldn't have paid in the unstructured manner. "There is a concept of reverse mortgage, where 90 per cent of our residents know that the house they are living in will not be used by their children. So why not allow them to take advantage of this through the reverse mortgage model," questions Mohit, adding, "There are many such things that can be done to make senior living a little easier and happy. Hence, we try to reach out to the government through ASLI." Columbia Pacific Communities is not just appealing to the government to make senior living a breeze but is also engaged in creating awareness among citizens. It sees a huge opportunity and demand for such communities in the coming days and hence is working on adding 20 more communities at the rate of four every year for the next five year in various stages of design or possession. Mohit signs off by saying, "Bricks and cement will finish, but the demand for senior living communities in India will not.". And if the United Nations Population Fund and HelpAge India's report is anything to go by, Mohit has more than a point because India's elderly population will grow to 173 million by 2026. FAMILIES IN INDIA ARE STRONGLY BONDED WITH LOVE, CARE, AND EMPATHY. DESPITEALL THE FACILITIES THAT THEIR PARENTS MIGHT BE RECEIVING AT SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES
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