In a traditional Indian family, multiple generations would live together in the same household. With the onset of age, one would both have access to community care as well as remain socially included. However, most Indians today aspire to move to major cities for work. This makes senior citizens more vulnerable, depriving them of not only emotional support but also a sense of being needed. In cases where people move abroad to different time zones, it is especially difficult to monitor the wellbeing of their parents. 

This tension was something that Asheesh Gupta, Anuradha Das Mathur, Gaurav Agarwal, and Sanjay Ahuja all experienced. Watching their parents grow older, and less independent, they noted a system-level gap: while many foreign countries offered institutionalized care for elders, there were none in India. 

Samarth Care was launched as a result of their efforts to make a difference. Combining the empathy of human caregivers with the efficiency of a digital platform, this Gurgaon-based company offers a safe space for Indians across the country to navigate aging with dignity.

Personalized care for elders

Samarth takes a holistic approach to elder care, asking a simple question: “What do people need the most support with as they grow older?” From its inception in 2016, it has classified the identified needs into six themes: health, emergency, safety and security, convenience needs, companionship, and domestic help. Today, it offers customized care plans tailored to each need. 

How Samarth works

The company’s care ecosystem can be divided into three components. The first of these comprises its care managers, human partners who are responsible for visiting and regularly engaging with elders. These professionals generally come from communities around the same elders. 

The second component comprises two mobile applications—one for elders and one for other stakeholders. The elder app contains features such as videos, games, activities, and resources to help connect with other older people. It uses a simple UI and focuses on keeping users emotionally engaged. This app also offers ways to connect elders with their assigned care managers. 

On the other hand, the app for stakeholders is more data-oriented, offering a dashboard to help manage elder wellbeing. This not only collates lists of tasks to be completed and stores important documents but also has communication channels for children, care managers, neighbors, and any other interested parties to coordinate the caregiving process.

Last but not least is Samarth’s backend system, which analyzes ~75 data points from the apps to construct digital models of elder wellbeing. To track trends over time, it uses an in-house wellness index that considers medical, emotional, cognitive, and agency-related factors. In addition to its regular algorithms, Samarth uses AI to streamline the processes of analytics and data reporting, helping translate the care managers’ on-ground efforts into easily readable reports.

How many people has Samarth impacted?

From its headquarters in Haryana, Samarth serves families in more than 300 cities, supporting thousands of elders whose children are spread across 33 different countries. Around 50,000 elders are enrolled in the engagement and companionship plan and another 5,000 use the basic care plan. 

Other than these direct beneficiaries, Samarth brings reassurance to thousands more family members and other stakeholders. Being a women-centric organization, most of its employees are female, with only 20 out of 650 team members being men. In action, this materially recognizes and compensates the silent labor performed by women across the country.

Alongside its care programs, Samarth has taken the initiative to spearhead policy-level interventions. For example, in 2022–23, it partnered with the Indian government to operate a helpline for elder citizens in three states, reaching ~10 million elders. Additionally, it operates two multi-activity centers in Bokharo and Hazaribagh, each serving 500–1000 elders. 

Creating a healthier care ecosystem

According to cofounder Asheesh Gupta, there are three cultural challenges to address when building an elder care service in India—high price sensitivity, regardless of income; a shortage of professional expertise; and a hesitation to seek help from others, especially in the older generation. Samarth tackles these challenges by leading with human caregivers and only introducing technology once trust has been established.

This enterprise was initially self-funded, with its first major external investment coming from Social Alpha in 2024. However, beyond financial support, the Samarth team highlights the importance of general welfarist perspectives in policymaking. For example, they suggest that elders be made exempt from paying GST, or that governments dedicate more resources to programs such as elder helplines. These steps would help establish greater economic, social, and emotional security for millions of Indian citizens.