People above 55 years now have a digital reason to be evergreen.

Seniority, a portal for the elderly, has launched an online platform to “support the emotional well-being” of senior citizens.

The digital engagement app, said to be one of its kind, aims to help senior citizens battle loneliness, find a renewed sense of belonging through interactive entertainment sessions and connecting with each other.

“We are in a situation of mental pandemic after a difficult phase due to the novel coronavirus that affected us all. Since senior citizens have limited choices to entertain themselves, we wanted to do something to maintain their emotional well-being during such challenging times,” Seniority founder Tapan Mishra said.

He pointed to a World Health Organization (WHO) report that said 57 million people in India are victims of depression and another 38 million suffer from anxiety disorders.

“This number has increased manifold due to the unprecedented pandemic, affecting people of all age groups, especially senior citizens, whose mental health took a drastic hit in the last few months,” he said.

The app was introduced after a few pilot sessions of the club concept received an overwhelming response.

“We were encouraged to extend this app to all seniors. We will continue to host exciting events and add relevant content on the app, while also enhancing it with more interesting features in the next few months,” Mr. Mishra said.

The app facilitates e-meeting of people above 55 years, helping them socialise over similar interests from the comfort of their homes. Members can participate in interactive sessions of recreational activities as well as learning-based activities such as gardening, yoga and dance therapy besides developing pursuing hobbies and picking up new skills.

The platform also allows the club members to access exclusive content online and attend relevant webinars, Mr. Mishra said.