As regular readers know, my parents finally moved to a retirement community earlier this year. After pushing back for years, they finally decided to make the move after visiting the place last year. Why this one and not another, especially since this is not close to Mumbai? This is because my mother’s sister also moved […]

Retirement Living: Yay or Nay?

“A senior living home or retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults that provides facilities and socialisation opportunities to make life easier and more comfortable for seniors.”

“Earlier in India, senior care was confined to old age homes, usually meant for the destitute and run in the name of a charity. Case in point, when we let everyone know about my parent’s move to a retirement community, eyebrows were raised and comments were made about moving to an old age home. But this is far from the truth. Today a large number of senior citizens, especially in the middle and upper classes and more so those whose children either live overseas or not in the same city as they opt to live in a retirement community to continue to live independently for as long as they could. And when they can no longer live independently, there are options to have a caretaker live with them so they can continue to live independently.”Earlier in India, senior care was confined to old age homes, usually meant for the destitute and run in the name of a charity. Case in point, when we let everyone know about my parent’s move to a retirement community, eyebrows were raised and comments were made about moving to an old age home. But this is far from the truth. Today a large number of senior citizens, especially in the middle and upper classes and more so those whose children either live overseas or not in the same city as they opt to live in a retirement community to continue to live independently for as long as they could. And when they can no longer live independently, there are options to have a caretaker live with them so they can continue to live independently.”