Opu’s Essay on Aumorto

Recently, my father’s parents moved from the bustling Hazra Road in Kolkata to a calm senior citizen apartment complex called Aumorto in Baruipur. They did so because they wanted to escape the complex city life and got tired of caring for their house on their own. I felt happy that they craved for a peaceful life and they were also happy (actually, ecstatic) about the new life. For a long time since December 2019, I wanted to check it out. So, it was planned that my parents and I would go there in April next year.

That hope was shattered like glass when 2020 occurred. The Coronavirus pandemic took the world hostage and flights were cancelled. A global lockdown came into force in April. The year dragged on leaving everyone drugged with boredom and loneliness. When December came and a lot of things eased up, we planned to stay there for a few days.

When we reached Aumorto, it was an…indescribable feeling to walk in the huge complex. All around, the green of the plants and blue of the sky existed and animal calls could be heard. There are two huge buildings called Serenity and Hope in Aumorto in which the residents stay. There is a seating place near a beautiful garden to your left as you enter Serenity and a swing near a huge field to the right. It felt so peaceful that the only physical activity I wanted to do is to go for long walks. That was the outside.

Inside the Serenity building, it was a contradicting atmosphere: It was modern and peaceful at the same time. When lunch was served the first day, everybody came to see me. Everyone was incredibly sweet and took a lot of interest in me. I felt like a celebrity. I went to my room that was quite a big room. The scenery outside was so mesmerizing and beautiful!

A small description of the food should come here. Though it was vegetarian food for elderly people over 80, I also enjoyed it as it was so tasty. I am mostly a non-vegetarian with a dislike towards most vegetables, but, there were foods which I liked a lot like sheem (broad beans) and veg soup.

I met many people there mostly during meals, my walks and during the Christmas celebrations. They were very affectionate and gentle to me and were awesome friends with my grandparents and each other. The staff was the most hospitable staff I have ever seen. I could tell that my presence and my dancing during Christmas made them think about their grandchildren and how much they miss them. Some of them even narrated a bit about their grandchildren to me. One thing I noticed was that old age definitely has bad effects on the body but, not on the mind. This is because everybody is happy there, happy with friendship and peace. That is the only thing that matters to them.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I loved the outdoors. The garden + seating area was my favorite spot in the whole place because of the amount of sunlight and the greenery there. My second favorite spot was the swing as the scenery in front of it was so beautiful. I listened to music and lost myself there. I could see why my grandparents wanted to move and live there. I definitely want to return there and enjoy myself with the other people and nature.

Nowadays people lead busy lives, their careers expect them to travel to other places, even other countries. They do not have time or possibility to take care of their ageing parents daily. Moreover, the parents, on their side, do not wish to relocate and adjust to an alien culture at an advanced age.

This problem is particularly acute in Kolkata. We have tried to form an understanding of what these elders who continue virtually alone in Kolkata may need.

AUMORTO IS NOT AN “OLD-AGE HOME” IT IS A RESORT!

The terms “old-age home” or “assisted living facility” bring up negative images of despondent residents who don’t have a choice when deciding on a place to spend their latter years in. Aumorto doesn’t fit that description at all.

The residents of Aumorto had a lot of options to select from, including staying in their own homes with support from hired caregivers, but have decided to stay here after careful consideration. Many have visited and vetted multiple residences before deciding on Aumorto. This fact gets reflected in the joie-de-vivre apparent among the residents.

The social aspect of the place is truly amazing. A lot of this has to do with the enthusiasm and openness of the residents. As well as the efforts of the management team. From a cheery “Good Morning” and chats at breakfast, adda sessions to the accompaniment of fish cutlets and tea at the cafeteria, organized resident events where almost everyone contributes songs or poems or stories, to cultural events with guest artistes – Aumorto is a place for residents to come together, reminisce pleasant memories, get to know each other’s families and celebrate life.

Personally, I absolutely love the dining arrangements and menu. Care is taken to provide a nutritious, well-balanced, healthy, and delicious menu appropriate for the residents. Given individual dietary needs, the customizations provided is necessary but truly admirable.

In terms of the facilities, love the tranquility of the meditation room, the well-stocked bookshelves of the library, the provision of an art gallery for visiting exhibitions and the availability of a gym for those interested. And the landscaped garden with sculptures, gazebos and a variety of flowering plants is truly a soothing sight.

One important contributor to the positivity of the place is the positive and caring attitude of the staff – be it the medical, housekeeping, dining, gardening, security or other staff. As many will attest, it is the morale of the employees that determine the overall vitality of an organization. One could have a reputed organization or club, but with untrained staff struggling to deliver service to the levels expected by clients and visitors. Not so with Aumorto – there are smiles all around and a service orientation that is ingrained. It cannot be easy in a place where discerning residents have to be taken care of with sensitivity and warmth. But seemingly it comes very naturally to everyone working here.

Peeling this aspect back a bit, I believe this has to do with the expectations set and the training provided. And possibly other morale boosting elements behind the scene. Hats off to the management team for that!

An aside, we are living in a difficult world right now. The pandemic has made travel difficult – even if it is to commute to work and back home for those that need to. Some employees at Aumorto have not been able to commute regularly and be with their families, as a result. As is normal, this does have the potential to affect morale. The visible positivity of the staff becomes even more noteworthy in this context.

A big positive is the on-site presence of a caring nursing staff, regular health monitoring, as well as the arrangements in case medical needs arise. It is this aspect that has been critical in reassuring residents and their distant families.

The pandemic has made it necessary to maintain stringent hygiene and safety protocols for the health of elderly residents. It is really admirable how such protocols have been maintained with much care and consideration. Not to mention the initiative to vaccinate the residents as soon as vaccines became available for the cohort in March – with a timely follow up as per regulations. As well as the focus on getting employees vaccinated. This has made Aumorto a haven for the residents in a sea of uncertainty and crisis. Our prayers for the continued well being of all.

I have found Aumorto to be a very calming place away from the hustle and bustle of the city – given the natural and pristine setting amidst paddy fields, the gentle breeze, and unpolluted sky. Every visit to Aumorto leaves me rejuvenated – and for once, I can say – I actually am looking forward to getting older!!

DR. BHASWATI MANISH ( DAUGHTER OF AMIYA SANKAR BANERJEE)

Note of Disclosure: We are not compensated or provided any money to write this testimonial.
We are very pleased to provide this testimonial in favor of Aumorto where my father has remained a resident for several years now. My father lives in one of the small sized units. A few years ago, after my mother passed away, I was looking for a residential community catering to elederly people so my father could stay in comfort. Since I live abroad for my occupation, my father used to come and stay with us every year for almost 6 months. However, as the years went by it was becoming harder and harder for my father to travel, visit and stay in the USA. Also, for safety and health purposes, it was becoming tougher for my father to stay alone in our residential home in Kolkata.

At that time I heard about Aumorto. I was visiting my father and decided to take a tour of the place. I contacted Banhishikha Paul and she was very welcoming and communicative. She immediately arranged our visit to Aumorto. I went with my father to see the place and spent almost 4-5 hours there. We loved the place for its spacious and very modern arrangements. The buildings have been built with all the modern amenities.

Each unit has handicap-friendly bathrooms, a living area and a private bedroom with ample ventilation and wide windows to let in sunlight making it very bright and cheery. The entire complex is in a closed area within a gated community so it is secure and self-contained. The area around the buildings are well-maintained and consist of seating areas, gazebos, and well-manicured lawns and gardens with flowers. Due to its distance from urban development (and Kolkata) it is fairly pollution free and has lots of shaded areas provided by large trees on the premises.

Within the building itself, there is a prayer room for meditation and reflection, a library featuring contemporary as well as historic works of fact and fiction, a conference room that can also be used to movie nights and speakers.

The dining hall is located on the ground floor. and easily accessible from all floors. The food is healthy, and takes into account the nutritional needs of the elderly. The kitchen staff arranges multiple cuisines within every week to keep variety in the food while ensuring it is also nutritious.To go to the upper floors there are large elevators. The rooms are cleaned thoroughly every day by an efficient and friendly housekeeping staff. On the premises, within the compound is a resident doctor and trained nurses and they have well-trained, professional, helpful, and caring staff. All of this is taken care of by a very well organized management, with staff that live on the premises and are able to attend to important activities and events with immediate effect.

The residents of Aumorto share a lot of common interests and are regularly involved in day-long excursions, travel to cultural and picnic events, and organized activities to celebrate special occasions like Durga pujo, Saraswati pujo, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Since everyone dines together and then spends time in each other’s company in the courtyard, there is a good, friendly atmosphere and good conversation and company for everyone.

When we visited my father, we were provided guest accommodations (need to book well in advance and subject to availability). The guest rooms were of good quality and easily accommodated our family. The kitchen staff ensured that we were able to partake our meals with the residents and we got to experience the daily activities of the complex.

When the Covid outbreak happened, Aumorto ensured that all the residents were vaccinated as soon as possible and took every precaution to maintain physical distance and followed all lockdown procedures, which was a relief since we were in the US and unable to go back and take care of our loved ones.

Around the same period, my father fell ill and had to undergo surgery. Because of COVID related travel restrictions, we were unable to go to India. The staff at Aumorto were very understanding and took care of my father’s needs and the surgery was performed and they made arrangements with a care facility to provide post-operative care for my father until he was fully recovered.

We have been very pleased with the facilities and services provided by Aumorto and are very grateful that my father is in capable hands. In return, he has settled down into a good routine and is enjoying the comforts of the place. It has allowed us to not be worried about his day to day activities as we know he is being well taken care of.