A proposed law for the care and protection of elderly persons in Keralam will aim to professionalise the caregiving sector and build a framework for geriatric care, the chief minister’s office said on Tuesday.
Chief Minister VD Satheesan, chairing a meeting to review the draft Keralam State Elderly Persons (Care and Protection) Bill, 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram, directed officials to expedite the procedures associated with drafting the legislation.
“One of the main objectives is developing the caregiving sector into a professional system. For this, a framework for geriatric care certification will be formed. Care givers would be given training and certification. Their backgrounds would be checked and a state-wide registry will be developed.
The legislation, once passed, would fix quality standards and responsibilities of assisted living facilities, home care agencies and government homes housing destitute elderly persons, the CM’s office said. This will help create jobs for skilled caregivers,” the office said. The government, the CM’s office said, was committed to building a ‘silver economy’ that would tie the rising needs of elderly persons with new economic and employment opportunities. State and district-level mechanisms would be put in place for the effective implementation of the bill’s goals, it said.
