Samarth targets cross-border caregiving strain for Indian-American families

Samarth Elder Care is spotlighting the pressure on Indian-American professionals who manage careers, children and aging parents in India, and is hosting a free webinar on Aug. 22 to explain a cross-border care model. The move comes as research points to rising elder-care needs in India and measurable workplace costs tied to family caregiving in the U.S.

Why it matters: - Indian-Americans are being pulled between U.S. careers, children at home and aging parents in India who may need urgent help across a 12-hour time difference. - The caregiving gap can show up as missed workdays, lower productivity and mental-health strain for employees. - Employers also face a talent-retention issue when senior professionals are forced into repeated caregiving crises.

What happened: - Samarth Elder Care said it is hosting a free interactive webinar on Aug. 22 for working professionals whose parents live in India. - The event is titled "Preserving Senior Independence - Building a Cross-Border Care System That Works." - Registration is free and open until midnight Aug. 21. - More information is available here.

The details: - The webinar will cover how to assess a parent's actual care needs versus assumptions families may be making from afar. - Samarth plans to outline a cross-border emergency response protocol for families dealing with urgent issues at 2 a.m. across time zones. - The session will address early warning signs of health and cognitive decline that can be missed on weekly phone calls. - Samarth will also offer guidance on how to start elder-care conversations before a crisis. - The webinar includes a live Q&A with Samarth's senior care managers. - Samarth said the event is aimed at helping Indian-American professionals understand care options for parents in India. - The company described itself as India's leading professional elder-care company. - Samarth said it operates in more than 350 cities in India and serves families in more than 33 countries. - Samarth said it was founded in 2016 by alumni of IIT, IIM, Cambridge and Yale, with executive leadership backgrounds at McKinsey & Company. - Social Alpha backs the company.

Between the lines: - The pitch reflects a broader rise in cross-border caregiving as India's elderly population grows and more adult children live abroad. - UNFPA India's Ageing Report 2023 projects India's elderly population will reach 347 million by 2050, growing at 3% annually. - The release says 20% of urban elderly Indians already live without daily family support. - Pew Research Center data cited in the release puts median annual income for Indian-headed households in the U.S. at $151,200, underscoring the high-earning profile of the diaspora Samarth is targeting. - Johns Hopkins University research cited by SHRM finds nearly 1 in 4 employed family caregivers report caregiving-related absenteeism or reduced workplace performance every month. - That research estimates productivity falls by about one-third and costs employers about $5,600 a year per affected senior employee. - SHRM research cited in the release says caregivers miss an average of 1.2 workdays per month, translating into an estimated $17.5 billion in lost wages each month. - The National Alliance for Caregiving says 56% of long-distance caregivers report damage to their mental health, while 41% report persistent loneliness. - The opportunity for Samarth is not just elder care in India. It is reducing the friction created when caregiving is split across continents.

What's next: - Samarth will use the Aug. 22 webinar to promote its care-manager-led service model to Indian-Americans managing parents in India. - The company is positioning dedicated care managers and local support teams as the practical answer to overseas family caregiving. - The bigger test is whether cross-border elder-care services can become part of standard family planning for diaspora households.

The bottom line: - For many Indian-American professionals, elder care is becoming a workplace issue as much as a family one, and Samarth is betting that a managed support system can close that gap.