Community & Inclusion

Senior Citizen Day Care in Chennai: Govt Centres and Status

Three state-funded day care centres for older people run in Chennai. Here is what they offer, the 2026 renaming and funding gap, and how to find one.

13 October 2026

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Updated 2026-10-29, 2:05 AM

Chennai has three government-backed day care centres for senior citizens, at Tondiarpet, Sholinganallur and Virugambakkam. They opened in November 2025 under a scheme first called Anbucholai and now renamed Senior Citizens Recreation Centres. Older people can spend the day there with lunch, yoga, games, a library and basic health checks, and go home in the evening, Outlook Money reported at the launch.

The centres are run by NGOs with state money, and that money has been uneven. Operators went about six months without their monthly grant this year before funds were released in September, DT Next reported. The meal allowance for the three Chennai centres was still unresolved then. Here is what the centres offer and how to use them.

What the scheme is

The state planned 25 day care centres in the first phase, at an estimated cost of ₹10 crore. Then Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated them on 10 November 2025 from Tiruchirappalli, The Statesman reported. Apart from the three in Chennai, the centres are in ten other corporations (two each in Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tiruppur, Erode, Thoothukudi, Vellore, Thanjavur and Dindigul) and in Ranipet and Krishnagiri.

The idea is to tackle loneliness, the need for routine medical attention and money worries among older people, and to give working families a safe daytime place for elderly relatives, according to a PTI report. The social welfare department estimated about 75 lakh older people in Tamil Nadu in 2025, a number it expected to double to 1.5 crore by 2031.

The idea had been in the works for years. In March 2020, DT Next reported that the social welfare department was planning a pilot of day care centres in two blocks of every district, noting that people over 60 made up more than 11% of the state’s population in the 2011 census. That earlier plan did not include meals.

What happens at a centre

Company and activities: chess, carom, a library, yoga and hobby or skill sessions.
Health: basic check-up equipment and physiotherapy.
Food: a midday meal.
Safety: a supervised space for the day, which matters for people who would otherwise be alone at home.

Published reports do not give fixed timings, an age limit or a fee. Call or visit the centre near you and ask about hours, whether there is a joining form, and whether lunch is being served right now.

The 2026 changes

After the change of government in May 2026, the TVK government renamed the scheme Senior Citizens Recreation Centres and set aside ₹10 crore for 25 more centres in municipal corporations, DT Next reported in September. The paper said the recurring state grant is ₹43,500 a month per centre.

In August, DT Next found that centres across 13 districts had received no monthly assistance since March, and that NGOs were paying rent, power and water bills, salaries and meals from their own funds, loans and credit cards. The state then released the pending money. Chennai’s centres got their lunch money through the Greater Chennai Corporation, routed via the social welfare department, and that allowance had not been cleared by early September. Families should check whether meals have resumed.

Finding a centre or other day care

Elderline, 14567. The national senior citizens’ helpline, open 8 am to 8 pm every day, gives information on day care centres, old age homes and caregivers, according to PIB. Ask for the nearest centre to your locality.
The District Social Welfare Office for Chennai district oversees the scheme and can give the centre addresses and the NGO running each one.
Your Corporation zonal office. Tondiarpet, Sholinganallur and Virugambakkam are in different zones, and zonal staff usually know the local centre.

NGOs that want to run elder care can look at the Union social justice ministry’s Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana, which funds the upkeep of senior citizen homes through an online NGO portal.

Before you enrol a parent

Visit together first, at lunchtime if possible, and see how many people attend and whether your parent finds someone to talk to.
Start with two or three days a week. Many older people take time to settle into a new routine.
Ask how staff handle a fall, a sudden illness or someone with memory problems.
Share a list of medicines and an emergency contact with the centre.
Plan transport, and ask whether the centre can help with pick-up.
If your parent lives alone and also faces neglect or abuse, Elderline’s field teams can step in, the PIB release says.

Quick answers

Where are the government senior day care centres in Chennai?

Tondiarpet, Sholinganallur and Virugambakkam, opened in November 2025.

Is there a fee?

Published reports do not mention one. The centres are funded by the state and run by NGOs, so ask the centre directly.

What is Anbucholai now called?

Senior Citizens Recreation Centres, after the 2026 renaming.

Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.