RETIREMENT HOMES

1. UTSAV PRASHANTHI

2. PRABUDDHALAYA

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-characteristics-of-old-age#

What are some characteristics of old age?

The distinguishing characteristics of old age are both physical and mental. The marks of old age are so
unlike the marks of middle age that legal scholar Richard Posner suggests that, as an individual
transitions into old age, he/she can be thought of as different persons "time-sharing" the same identity.

Many old people like me are set in our routine, We like quiet, talk too much about our health,
how crappy it is. We notice when people die. How old were they? Ouch! That person died at the
same age as I am. Carrie Fisher’s death was very hard on many of us. She died when she was
SIXTY. To folks like me, that’s YOUNG.

We talk about our friends. How sad we feel to lose another friend who died. We lament our
celebrities like Debbie Reynolds death. How many can remember her song,”Tammy?”

We watch TV channels that show,”Wagon Train,” Murder she wrote,” “Mash,” “Andy Griffith,”
and of course, “I love Lucy.”

We go to plays, not movies. Movies are computerized, too much sex and violence for us. People
like to see things blown up. I have no idea why.

We have small dogs. I’m unusual because I love cats.

Old folks vote like many other age groups. Men my age loved Trump. I loved Clinton. Men call
me a Commie/Socialist/Democratic crazy man. Most cut me slack because I’m a disabled
Veteran. They talk behind my back how Agent Orange made me the way I am. They’re wrong.

We play cards, talk about how no one understands technical things. Why do young people stare
at their telephone’s? Wait, telephones are computers.

Few old people exercise as much as I do. I fail trying to convince many of my friends what
they’re missing.

One great thing about old age is it beats the alternative.

Seniors are more aware that our time on this earth is limited. We see more of our friends with terminal
illnesses, and mobility problems. We’ve either lost our parents or are spending a lot of time helping
them. My Grandmother used to tell me “Don’t wish your life away!” I was always anxious to get to a fun
event instead of enjoying the days before it. So now, even though I have a great trip planned 2 months
from now, I make sure I appreciate all the days before it.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-4387-5_10

Characteristics and social conditions of

residents in old people’s homes
Abstract

The old people’s home has a social role in our society since it essentially deals with those
categories of the population which are less wealthy, physically or mentally handicapped and
insufficiently looked after at home. Within the category of the population recorded as elderly, the
residents in homes occupy a special place. In many respects their situation differs from those
who do not stay in institutions. This paper is therefore focused on some relevant aspects of the
problems of residents in old people’s homes. The data and findings apply to the Belgian province
of Limburg, which was chosen as a research field, but they may serve as a starting point for a
more general approach of the problems. It can be said from the start only a minority of elderly
people in Belgium live in a residence. Only 55,000, i. e. under 4% of all elderly, are concerned
here. The proportion is rather low as compared with Holland, where no less than 11% of the
elderly are staying in an institution or a treatment home.

Keywords
Residential Life Living Child Residential Home Social Adaptation Unfavourable Attitude 

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the
keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/living-with-dignity-old-age-homes-choice-of-the-
elderly-feature-with-images-114060300819_1.html

Living with dignity: Old-age homes choice of

the elderly (Feature, with images)
"To live with dignity," was the simple, four-word response by 75-year-old Sharmila Borah when
asked why she opted to move into an old age home here. No, she has not been abandoned by her
children, nor was she living a life of penury. It's a choice Borah, like many other ageing and the
elderly, are making to continue living in a dignified manner into the sunset of their lives.
Two years ago, when Borah's husband passed away after a long battle with cancer, she called her
sons - both married and well-settled in Delhi and Bangalore - and announced her decision to
move in to the old-age home.

"There were murmurs among the relatives, but I couldn't care less. It was a decision I had taken
long back, when my husband was still alive. All our lives we had lived independently and with
dignity, and I was not ready to compromise on that. I am sure my children would have been
happy to take my responsibility, but it was not a decision I wanted them to take," the feisty
woman told IANS.

Using her husband's pension to take care of the rent, she says she is happy with the choice she
made. "My children and grandchildren visit me, and I have visited them as well. I am
comfortable here, plus I have a lot of company, which I wouldn't have had if I stayed alone, or
with my kids because everyone is so busy," she added.

Although it's still not viewed with approval, old-age homes are slowly becoming a choice that
the elderly, mostly in the metros, are increasingly making for themselves. A change in the social
structure which has made joint families a thing almost of the past, when there was no dearth of
company for the young and the old, has now led to the aged to be looking for companionship
even as the young get busy with their own lives.

Damayanti Devi, in-charge of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust (KGNMT) in
Guwahati which runs various welfare projects, like schools, including an old age home for
women, said that most of the inhabitants of their home are ex-employees of the trust who have
decided to stay on instead of going back to their families.

"For most part of our lives we have lived here and after retirement most women realise that it's
now not possible to adjust to the lives that their families lead in the villages or the city. We get
up at 4 a.m. and complete all our work by 8 a.m. An office goer begins his day at that time...it's a
different lifestyle," Damyanti Devi told IANS.

Most of the 61 inhabitants of the home, she said, are in contact with their families who visit them
at intervals. "We are very happy here. There is continuity in the way we have led our lives and
most importantly there is companionship. If one complains of body aches, others in the nearby
rooms come with aid; there is no question of loneliness," said one of the oldest inhabitants who
joined the KGNMT back as a young worker back in 1945.

Going one step ahead, and given the demand for care of the elderly post-retirement, there are a
number of projects which have come up in the vicinity of big cities like Delhi, Pune, and
Bangalore called "retirement villages". These projects which have all the amenities including
infirmary with medical services, library, gym, prayer and meditation rooms, are made up of
individual apartments or cottages.

Ashiana Housing Ltd, for instance, has three retirement housing projects, called Utsav
Retirement Resorts, in Bhiwadi (25 km from Gurgaon), Jaipur and Lavasa. Each has one, two
and three BHK apartments with age-friendly fittings, swimming pool, billiards room, activity
centre with indoor games and where hobby classes are organised, and a temple. It also has
services of an on-the-site doctor and ambulance, plus 24-hours security.

Ashiana joint MD Ankur Gupta said: "The concept of retirement homes is catching on with the
changing mindsets of people. The elderly are not forced to live here but choose to because it's a
lifestyle they want for themselves post-retirement. An increase in life expectancy, plus
knowledge about retirement homes, is helping them take this decision and their children too are
happy with them leading a happy and safe life".

Most of such retirement villages have the option of independent/active living and assisted living.
In the case of assisted living, the inhabitant is ill or bed-ridden and, therefore, all care is provided
by the staff. The village also has a dining hall where people can opt to eat in case they don't want
to cook.

Most also allow children of the seniors to visit and stay with them for a particular stretch of time.
If it's a couple staying, at least one of them has to be over the age of 55.

"Most of us living here have our children living abroad. In this day and age of high crime rates
against the elderly, and lack of help at home, these retirement villages are the perfect option for
someone like my wife and me," Ashok Mehra, who retired as managing director of a private
company in Delhi, told IANS.

"We bought a 2 BHK here, and are living independently, and yet when we need help, it's at hand.
Our kids have peace of mind and we couldn't have asked for a better post-retired life," he added.

(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/old-age-homes-the-last-resort-of-the-
elderly/article4438333.ece

Madurai

Old age homes the last resort of the elderly

Senior citizens face a drought of love and care as their children abandon them

Old age homes are fast becoming the last resort of the elderly.

Shunned or abandoned by their families, many senior citizens face the prospect of a lonely death
at homes for the aged, with staff having to attend to funeral proceedings. Often, the elderly are
reluctant to visit their families, in homes they built for their children.

In family after family, the story is the same. Sons and daughters driving their elderly parents out
of the house once the property has been bequeathed to them and possession granted.
Sordid tale

Old age homes in Madurai tell a sordid tale of neglect by families, the drought of care and
affection faced by parents who have outlived their utility and value to their children.

The irony is inescapable. People pray to be blessed with children, only to suffer callous neglect
and abandonment in their twilight years.

For 67-year-old S. Nagarajan, a retired manager of Meenakshi Temple here, it is the free old age
home Inba Illam at Pasumalai that egged him to carry on living.

“It is a rebirth for me here, this home is my asylum and I am able to forget the past,” he says
choked with emotion.

In spite of having two daughters and a son, he had to go in search of a place to live. He has been
in the old age home for two years now.

“My son is in Madurai but the family situation forced me out of my house and today I am happy
here. My property went to my son. I have no contact at all with anyone,” Mr. Nagarajan says.

After struggling to bring up their children, elders like him must spend their days alone.

Many would like to surround themselves with the warmth and joy of family life. But their
circumstances prevent that.

Rajaji Home for the Aged in Viswanathapuram was the first to come up in the city. It has been
providing food, accommodation and care free of charge for the elderly since 1956.

Says J.Vimala, administrative officer, “There are 25 inmates. We take care of them to their last
breath. If these people had no children, it would be understandable. But imagine their agony
when they have sons and daughters right here in Madurai.”

Ms. Vimala cited the bitter experience of 73-year-old V. Mahalingam from Kariapatti taluk in
Virudhunagar district as an example of how children drive their parents out after getting the
property. He has three sons and a daughter who live very close to the old age home.

“After my wife’s death, my sons took turns to look after me but I realised it was all for money.
True respect and affection were missing. I’m better off here,” the old man says.

As the joint family system fell apart, the number of old age homes rose rapidly. There are nearly
75 care homes in Madurai.

The stories of Lakshmi (75) and Prema (62) at Inba Illam are no different.
“I am here for the past 15 years but have my peace of mind. My sons live in rented homes in
Chennai. They threw me out. A Malayalee family brought me to this old age home. My family
has not contacted me. I no longer trust my children,” says Lakshmi.

For Prema too, it was a heart-breaking experience when her daughter-in-law put pressure on her
son to send her out of the house.

“I have a son living in Thirumangalam and a daughter in Dindigul but they are of no help. I don’t
blame them because it is my fate,” she cries.

Once the dejected elders find a place in a home, they quickly get accustomed to the daily routine.

“There are two types of old age homes, paid and free. The Rajaji Home for the Aged affiliated to
Guild of Service in Chennai, admits men above 60 years. Any elderly person stranded without
family care is taken in and given care free of cost,” says Ms.Vimala.

In Inba Illam, 30 women and 20 men derive solace.

Says warden S.B. Sharmila, “We have a huge waiting list. The understanding between parents
and children is breaking down. On an average we receive 10 enquiries every day about vacancies
in our home,” she says.

Before giving admission, the consent of family members is obtained.

The inmates are not allowed to go out except on rare occasions, either to visit a relative or a
hospital for a routine check up.

They are provided free meals. K.V. Vijaya Prakash, Social Protection Officer, Helpage India
(Madurai Divisional Office), says that parents from rich families too are turning to old age
homes because their children are abroad or in another city and they have no one to look after
them.

Some old age homes take senior citizens either in the free category or on payment depending on
the person’s capacity. For instance, Akash Age Care Home at Kadachanenthal provides free
service for 12 aged persons.

“I feel sad about the rise in the number of old age homes. But these unfortunate seniors need
care. We collect Rs.3,000 per month and there is no deposit,” says K.V. Omkumar, Trustee,
Akash Aged Care Home.

Says 70 year-old K.V.Rajagopal, the newest entry into Rajaji Home for the Aged.

“I have two daughters living in Madurai with their in-laws. My wife passed away. I have no
place to stay. I am all alone.” Senior citizens are facing a crisis. The old age homes are their only
hope.
http://www.myhappyhome.in/?
gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1oboqLGb3AIVTIaPCh2JOwwzEAMYASAAEgLkiPD_BwE