Grandparents' Line
A weekly call from the same volunteer, and a device set up so older people can reach migrated family themselves.
4,100
Older people
980
Volunteers
Weekly
Call cadence
Why it works the way it does.
- Where
- Kerala
- Running since
- 2023
- Stage
- Running
- Programme
- Elderly care
In high-migration districts the loneliest households are the ones that look fine: a pension arrives, the house stands, and nobody has visited in months.
Grandparents' Line pairs each older person with a volunteer who calls the same time every week. It sounds slight. It is the intervention participants rank highest.
Alongside it we set up and teach a device, patiently and repeatedly, so the calls people most want to make are the ones they can make themselves.
The design decisions.
- 01Same volunteer, same person, same weekly slot
- 02Device set-up and repeated, patient teaching in the home
- 03Escalation route where a call raises a health or safety concern
- 04Quarterly in-person visit alongside the calls
4,100
Older people
980
Volunteers
Weekly
Call cadence
34
Day centres
The organisations this runs with.
- Local self-government institutions
- Volunteer network
- Dollu Ltd
Part of a wider programmeElderly care and connectionDay centres, home visits and help staying in touch for older people living alone after their families migrated for work.
Uttar Pradesh · ScalingConnected ClassroomsA connected, maintained computer lab in every government secondary school in the districts we work in.
Bihar · ScalingDigital DidiWomen trained as their village's paid digital helper - the person who fills the form, makes the claim, spots the scam.
Odisha · RunningSignal in the StormPre-staged emergency communications in cyclone-prone coastal districts, ready before the season starts.
Fund Grandparents' Line, or something like it.
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