The Care Companion Program was first set up in 2013 in the NH hospital in Mysore. The program was started in direct response to the needs of patients and to recognise patient family members as an untapped existing resource. The program focuses on creating a therapeutic alliance with the patient and creating a platform for shared power and responsibility. The program undertakes in-hospital education-cum-training program for patients’ family members. Multi-lingual group teaching sessions use interactive videos for identifying warning signs of illness, checking temperature, pulse, blood pressure, timely medications etc. These sessions are conducted in Hindi, Tamil, English, Telugu, Bengali, Assamese and Kannada. The program has been implemented across 24 facilities of NH. Since its inception in 2013, more than 1,60,783 caregivers have been educated, with 30,000 caregivers being trained in the financial year 2019-20. The financial year 2019-20 also saw the TEACH (Teaching Empowering Activating Caregivers at Home) summit being organised by NH CSR in collaboration with M/S. Noora Health as education partner. The summit witnessed participation of senior nursing educators from public and private healthcare institutions, academicians, practitioners and health administrators. The summit showcased best practices and insights in patient communication across diverse healthcare facilities.

The program has provided valuable insights on the knowledge & behavioural attributes of caregivers. Sensitising caregivers on clinical, nutritional, and preventive aspects of the underlying medical condition helps create a cadre of caregivers who are better positioned to understand the clinical management; not only in the hospital, but more importantly, in the postdischarge scenario. Institutionalising the program across NH has brought uniformity & consistency in the manner that the CCP program is practiced.