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How happy are elderly Indians?

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prasad1

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Hindustan_Times

A new survey puts paid to the notion of the elderly being treated with respect in India. Nearly three-quarters of all old people in the country are ready to move to a community that offers them special services, said the survey, whose results were released Wednesday, adding that a large number of them feel lonely, though they are also resigned to their fate.
Today's seniors are living alone in an environment where they are not satisfied with the current security options. Eighty percent of the seniors surveyed were concerned about the possibility of theft and violence, as they lived alone.
The three-month survey, conducted between October and December 2012 by AZ Research, a firm that ran the survey in 12 cities of India and questioned 1,900 elders, showcased interesting trends. "The need for a comprehensive senior living community in today's day and age is increasing. Three out of every four seniors are open to moving to an assisted senior living community and seniors are increasingly seeking and willing to pay for residential communities with housekeeping support and leisure avenues," Sujay Misra of AZ Research said. Security are one of the top three requirements from a living space. The survey indicated that about eighty percent of senior citizens are not satisfied with current security options and were concerned about the possibility of break-ins and stealing.


"Six out of ten elders do not wish to live in a home that does not have guaranteed security. Most of them fear for their safety. The seniors seek high-end security systems that structured homes offer," the survey said. Nearly eighty percent of the seniors surveyed said they would like to continue working after retirement to sustain their lifestyle or improve it. "Most of the elders do not want to relax. Many aspire for a new career. Those who are above 70 years old expressed a desire for new hobbies. Many wish to socialize, visit clubs and party. They also wanted exercise, games and shopping," the survey showed.


Help Age India, an NGO working for the elderly holds that currently, India has 98 million elderly citizens (over the age of 60). The figure is expected to touch a whopping 118 million by 2016.
 
A marketing strategy of the companies which are promoting retirement communities. Most of them are them are rip offs, the homes costing more than comparable apartments in metropolitan cities.
 
I tend to agree with Shri Sharmah's view above. IMHO, happy old age or evening of life was rare even in the previous generations, because each new generation had a bit of a change in outlook and value systems as compared to their just previous one. So, parents (in our tabra community especially) who always firmly believed in the Upanishadic dicta "mātṛ devo bhava | pitṛdevo bhava", which are supported by various legendary stories also, possibly expected their writ to run unchallenged, till their last breath. But this was not the case in almost 99.999999% of cases and there has been some friction, some adjustments on the part of the dying generation, at all times.

Today, however, there are many elderly couples living alone even though their children (I mean son/s) are living in India, or even in the same city/same housing complex. This is because the MIL(FIL)-DIL equation just does not work out at all nowadays.

The survey does not go into such aspects but seems to concentrate on only one aspect, viz., security. Even if the parents live in the same flat with their son and his family, the safety of the elders is open to doubt unless the housing scheme has a fool-proof security system. A new postman/post woman, the fellow delivering new cooking gas refills, the telephone, A/C, TV etc., repairers, the usual servant or servant maid and a host of people can be a potential risk. Even very eligible-looking beggars have succeeded in getting a foothold inside the house, signalled to their criminal accomplices hiding outside, killed the elderly couple and made off with the valuables!

I therefore think that this is a survey with an agenda; some new mega project for a "walled community" for senior citizens may be in the offing!!
 
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