Kohima: F Mao recently celebrated his 80th birthday surrounded by peers at the Open Doors Senior Citizens Day Care Centre in Diphupar. This facility serves as a vital hub for local elders. Founded in 2017 by Sotisola Imkong, known as Asola, the center provides a space for social interaction and dignified living. Asola built the project following her grandfather’s 2014 stroke, which highlighted how material comfort often fails to address the social isolation of aging seniors.
The center operates with five full-time staff and two volunteers. It offers activities ranging from carrom tournaments to Prayer Fridays. Staff also conduct health monitoring, including routine blood sugar and blood pressure checks, alongside regular grooming sessions. Nursing students from the GNM III Year program visit the facility to learn about geriatric care and the necessity of compassion.
Asola faced early skepticism from locals who viewed the day care model as a foreign concept. She argues that these centers prevent the social isolation often mistaken for abandonment. The COVID-19 pandemic eventually shifted public perception by forcing families to experience the realities of full-time caregiving. Asola remains committed to her vision. She stated, "We should approach senior citizens with the same boundless love and patience we would naturally offer a child."
The center will celebrate its ninth anniversary this October. It remains a fixture for older adults seeking purpose. World Senior Citizen's Day is observed globally on August 21.
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