Priya Anant Joins the KKHSOU Geriatric Care Committee as Subject Expert
Guwahati, July 2025 — Priya Anant, Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer , of Life Circle Health Services has been officially appointed as a Subject Expert on the KKHSOU Geriatric Care Committee — formally known as the Committee on Courses (CCS) — for the Diploma in Geriatric Care Attendant at Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU).
This appointment, issued by the Office of the Dean (Academic) with the approval of the Vice-Chancellor, is a significant recognition of Priya Anant’s deep expertise in eldercare and Life Circle’s pioneering role in professionalizing caregiver training in India. As India’s aging population continues to grow rapidly, building a skilled, compassionate, and certified geriatric care workforce has never been more critical — and this appointment places Life Circle at the center of that national effort.
KKHSOU Geriatric Care Committee: A Historic Milestone for Geriatric Education in India
The formation of the **KKHSOU Geriatric Care Committee** marks a landmark step in India’s journey toward structured, institution-backed geriatric education in India. The Committee on Courses (CCS) for the Diploma in Geriatric Care Attendant has been constituted with a carefully selected group of experts drawn from healthcare, nursing, and academic backgrounds:
- Priya Anant, Co-founder & Chief Customer Officer, Life Circle Health Services, New Delhi
- Dr. G. Mahesh, School of Social Work, IGNOU, New Delhi
- Pallabi Chetia Nath, Principal, NEF Nursing College, Assam
Together, this panel of experts has been entrusted with the responsibility of finalizing and recommending the complete course structure, syllabus, and evaluation framework for the new eldercare diploma program. Once finalized, the diploma will be officially certified under the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) — lending national credibility and standardization to what has long been an informal and unregulated sector.
The Life Circle KKHSOU collaboration through this committee represents more than an institutional appointment. It signals a broader commitment to transforming how India trains, values, and employs its eldercare workforce.
Geriatric Care Curriculum India: Designed for Practical, Skill-Based Learning
One of the most defining features of the new Geriatric Care Curriculum India framework being developed under this committee is its strong emphasis on practical learning. In alignment with NCVET’s competency-based standards, the diploma program follows a 60% practical and 40% theoretical learning model.
Students enrolled in the program will gain real-world, hands-on experience through structured partnerships with hospitals, counselling centers, and old-age homes across Assam. This ground-level exposure ensures that graduates are not just theoretically aware but genuinely field-ready.
The curriculum is designed to:
- Equip learners with comprehensive skills in geriatric care, nursing assistance, and psychosocial support for elderly patients.
- Strengthen their understanding of elder welfare, effective communication, and emergency response management.
- Develop career-ready caregivers who are prepared to work across home healthcare settings, senior living facilities, and rehabilitation centers.
- Embed professional ethics and compassion as core competencies alongside technical skills.
As a Priya Anant Subject Expert on this committee, her participation ensures that the curriculum is not designed in isolation from industry realities. Life Circle’s national network of trained caregivers offers a rich repository of best practices, real-world challenges, and evolving healthcare education standards that will directly inform the program’s design.
Caregiver Training India: Raising the Bar for Healthcare Education Standards
India’s eldercare sector has long operated without a standardized framework for caregiver training in India. Most caregivers enter the workforce with minimal formal training, limited career pathways, and little institutional recognition. The KKHSOU Geriatric Care Committee initiative directly addresses this gap by creating a nationally recognized educational credential that brings structure, quality, and dignity to the profession.
By anchoring the diploma within NCVET’s certification framework and designing it through a committee that includes industry practitioners like Priya Anant, the program sets a new benchmark for healthcare education standards in geriatric care across the country.
This is particularly significant for Northeast India, where access to quality healthcare education has historically been limited. KKHSOU’s open and distance learning model ensures that the diploma is accessible to students from diverse geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds — widening the talent pipeline for eldercare across the region and beyond.
The inclusion of psychosocial support, emergency management, and elder welfare communication in the curriculum also reflects a more holistic understanding of what quality geriatric care truly requires — moving beyond physical assistance to encompass emotional, psychological, and social dimensions of care.
Life Circle KKHSOU Partnership: Bridging Academia and Field Reality
The Life Circle KKHSOU partnership through this committee appointment is a natural extension of Life Circle’s broader mission to professionalize and dignify eldercare work in India. Since its founding, Life Circle has consistently advocated for standardized training, dignified employment, and meaningful career progression for India’s care workforce.
Through her role on the KKHSOU Geriatric Care Committee, Priya Anant will actively work to bridge the gap between academic learning and field realities. Her day-to-day experience working with caregivers across India gives her a unique vantage point — one that ensures the diploma curriculum remains grounded, relevant, and responsive to what employers and elderly clients actually need.
The goal is clear: graduates of this program should not only meet the technical demands of the industry but also embody the compassion, patience, and professionalism that define truly exceptional geriatric care.
This initiative also reinforces Life Circle’s position as a thought leader in geriatric education India — one that doesn’t just train caregivers internally but actively shapes the national standards and institutional frameworks that govern how caregivers are educated across the country.
Why This Appointment Matters for India's Aging Population
India is currently home to over 140 million elderly citizens, a number projected to double by 2050. Despite this demographic reality, the infrastructure for professional geriatric care remains severely underdeveloped. There is a growing and urgent need for trained, certified caregivers who can provide consistent, high-quality support to older adults — whether in home settings, hospitals, or residential care facilities.
The eldercare diploma being developed under the KKHSOU Geriatric Care Committee directly responds to this need. By creating a structured, NCVET-certified educational pathway, the program will:
- Produce a new generation of professionally trained geriatric care attendants.
- Improve the overall quality and consistency of eldercare services across India.
- Create dignified, recognized career pathways for those who choose caregiving as a profession.
- Reduce the burden on families who currently struggle to find qualified, trustworthy eldercare support.
Priya Anant’s appointment as a Subject Expert ensures that this program is built on a foundation of practical wisdom, industry alignment, and genuine commitment to elder welfare.
About Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU)
Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU), established by the Government of Assam in 2005, is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and stands as a pioneer in open and distance learning across Northeast India.
The University’s mission centers on providing accessible, skill-based education that promotes social inclusion and meaningful employability. With a special focus on healthcare, social work, and community development, KKHSOU is uniquely positioned to lead the charge in formalizing geriatric care education in the region.
The introduction of the Diploma in Geriatric Care Attendant is one of KKHSOU’s most forward-looking initiatives to date — one that aligns the university’s academic offerings with India’s most pressing social and healthcare needs.
📜 Document Reference:
Official Notification No. KKHSOU/DA/Committee-on-courses/16/2022/37, dated 02 July 2025, Office of the Dean (Academic), Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, Guwahati
