Hyderabad, September 30: The Max Institute of Healthcare Management (MIHM) at the Indian School of Business (ISB) and the Max India Foundation (MIF) today announced the launch of the SCALE (Senior Care Advancement Through Learning and Evidence) Initiative. Supported by a multi-year CSR grant from MIF, the initiative will generate knowledge and evidence to strengthen care propositions for India‘s rapidly growing senior population.
India is witnessing an increasing demand for senior care that is accessible, appropriate and sustainable. As the industry expands across senior living, healthcare, AgeTech, financing and insurance, organisations and experts are generating valuable insights through practice and innovation. But these learnings remain fragmented. The SCALE Initiative seeks to address this gap by generating evidence and translating it into insights that can assist industry stakeholders and policymakers to make informed decisions. The initiative will focus on consumer behaviour, workforce participation, social inclusion, operating and care delivery models and their financing, and technology adoption. Antara Senior Care will serve as a founding industry partner, supporting SCALE’s engagement with the senior care sector.
The MoU for the initiative was exchanged between Tara Singh Vachani, Managing Trustee, Max India Foundation and Executive Chairperson, Antara Senior Care, and Dean Madan Pillutla, in the presence of Rajit Mehta, MD, Max India Limited and CEO, Antara Senior Care; Ishaan Khanna, CEO, Antara Assisted Care Services; Sarang Deo, Executive Director, Max Institute of Healthcare Management at ISB; Karthik Balakrishnan, Deputy Dean – Faculty and Research, ISB; and DNV Kumara Guru, Senior Director – Advancement, Alumni Engagement and External Relations, ISB.
Launched at ISB’s Hyderabad campus through a stakeholder roundtable, the SCALE Initiative will bring together researchers, senior care industry stakeholders and clinicians to examine the evolving care needs of seniors and identify priority action areas. The initiative will connect real-world industry challenges with research to impact service design, operating models, technology adoption, workforce planning, investment and innovation across the sector.
Professor Sarang Deo, Executive Director, Max Institute of Healthcare Management, ISB, said: “India is entering a phase where the growing needs and aspirations of a senior population will require us to rethink how we design systems, services and markets for seniors. SCALE brings a management and evidence-based perspective to this challenge, examining how businesses, healthcare organisations and public institutions can respond to these changes across financing, technology, workforce participation, consumer and producer behaviour, and social inclusion. Through SCALE, our objective is to build a stronger evidence base that can inform both private-sector practice and public policy to shape more effective and sustainable responses to India‘s growing senior population.”
Tara Singh Vachani, Managing Trustee, Max India Foundation, said: “India‘s demographic transition presents an opportunity to build a deeper understanding of how seniors can lead healthier, more independent and fulfilling lives. As lifespan improves, seniors are seeking greater health, independence, purpose, dignity and choice. Meeting these aspirations requires a deeper understanding of their diverse needs and experiences. The SCALE Initiative brings together research, practitioner insights and stakeholder perspectives to strengthen the evidence base around ageing and care. Our aim is to translate this knowledge into more effective care models, stronger support systems and better outcomes for seniors and their families. Through this initiative, we hope to contribute to the broader national conversation on how India can prepare for and respond to the opportunities and challenges of an ageing society.”
SCALE at MIHM will serve as a sustained research and industry engagement platform, enabling research collaborations, data partnerships, pilots, evaluations and knowledge exchange. Over time, it aims to build an industry-level evidence base to help organisations innovate, respond to evolving consumer needs, make informed business and investment decisions, strengthen workforce strategies and scale effective approaches.
The initiative draws on Antara Senior Care’s experience of building an integrated continuum of care across senior living, care homes and services, wellness, and products and solutions for chronic disease management, bringing real-world insights to address the evolving needs of seniors and their families. This complements MIHM’s healthcare research expertise and ISB’s broader commitment to building knowledge and partnerships to address critical societal challenges.
