[2][3] HelpAge India began in the late 1960s when the speaker of the Lok Sabha visited his counterpart in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, who was also honorary secretary of Help the Aged.
In March 1974, when Jackson Cole, founder of HelpAge International visited India, Samson Daniel, a philanthropist, approached him for financial help to set up a member organization in Delhi.
[9] The award highlights the issue of aging with India being a place for an estimated 140 million elderly and with 42 years of field work with a presence in 125 districts across 25 states.
[12] The organization also helps elders become self-reliant and independent through the formation of Elder-Self-Help-Groups in rural India which supports 95,584 older persons through 7415 Elder-Self-Help Groups in 16 States.
Credible and competent eye hospitals are selected for carrying out surgeries with HelpAge India's support-a-Gran ration program which provides Homecare support to bedridden patients.
[citation needed] Geriatric Physiotherapy: Under this program, elders with musculoskeletal diseases such as back pain, arthritis, paralysis, and other age-related mobility challenges are treated.
[citation needed] Student Action for Value Education (SAVE):[11] To address the increasing gap between generations and sensitize the young towards elders, HelpAge works hand-in-hand with schools across the country to inculcate values of care, love, and respect towards the elderly, in young students so they grow to become responsible and caring individuals and are sensitive to the needs of the older generation.
Madan Mohan Sabharwal, former President Emeritus of HelpAge India is a recipient of the Order of the British Empire (1998) and Padma Shri (2008).