Increasing Old Age Homes in India In the Vedic times, human life of a hundred years was divided into four segments or ashrams. A seven year old was supposed to live in Brahmacharya - ashram / gurukul or a present day distant equivalent of a boarding school till his twenties. The second quarter of his life was to be spent as a householder or a Grhasthya. In the third quarter, he was to retire from routine household activities and set out into the forests, which was called Vanaprastha - ashram. This was the stage where contemporaries lived together, in probably what could be called a rough equivalent of a "retirement retreat". The last quarter of his life was to be spent in his search for God and to be lived in "Sannyas" in complete renunciation. We don't live a hundred years today, but the rationale of retiring from hectic, routine life and moving into an area where one could finally, lead a healthy, peaceful life, and leisurely enjoy all that one has worked and earned for in his youth, is not a modern-day idea, but one borrowed from our roots in the Vedas. An Aggressive Stance Half a century ago, old age homes were looked at with antagonism and resentment. They were perceived to be a refuge for those helpless elderly victims who were "cast away" by brutally, ungrateful children. Current Understanding This idea is however changing rapidly. Today, a fair number of people opt to move into a retirement retreat, where parents of affluent children well settled abroad, live in a home which provides vigilant security, prompt state-of-art medical facilities, clubhouses for entertainment, and most of all an environment where people understand each other, connect and relate with their contemporaries and are well taken care of. Today people have become so apathetic towards their elders that, they can put them into the care of paid strangers and turn them out of their houses. Hence the increase in the number of old age homes.

Increasing Old Age Homes in India

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Increasing Old Age Homes in India

In the Vedic times, human life of a hundred years was divided into four segments or ashrams. A seven year old was supposed to live in Brahmacharya - ashram / gurukul or a present day distant equivalent of a boarding school till his twenties. The second quarter of his life was to be spent as a householder or a Grhasthya. In the third quarter, he was to retire from routine household activities and set out into the forests, which was called Vanaprastha - ashram. This was the stage where contemporaries lived together, in probably what could be called a rough equivalent of a "retirement retreat". The last quarter of his life was to be spent in his search for God and to be lived in "Sannyas" in complete renunciation.

We don't live a hundred years today, but the rationale of retiring from hectic, routine life and moving into an area where one could finally, lead a healthy, peaceful life, and leisurely enjoy all that one has worked and earned for in his youth, is not a modern-day idea, but one borrowed from our roots in the Vedas.

An Aggressive StanceHalf a century ago, old age homes were looked at with antagonism and resentment. They were perceived to be a refuge for those helpless elderly victims who were "cast away" by brutally, ungrateful children.

Current UnderstandingThis idea is however changing rapidly. Today, a fair number of people opt to move into a retirement retreat, where parents of affluent children well settled abroad, live in a home which provides vigilant security, prompt state-of-art medical facilities, clubhouses for entertainment, and most of all an environment where people understand each other, connect and relate with their contemporaries and are well taken care of. Today people have become so apathetic towards their elders that, they can put them into the care of paid strangers and turn them out of their houses. Hence the increase in the number of old age homes.

Future TrendsOld age was never a problem in India. Old age homes were alien in concept and elder abuse was considered a Western problem. Not any more. As life expectancy has increased from 41 years in 1951 to 64 years today, hundreds of old age homes have sprung up in India. Demographic study shows that in the next 20 years, the number of senior citizens will grow vastly. Neglect of parents has become a big issue, so much so that the Indian government has passed "The maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens bill 2006", which makes it imperative for adult children to look after their parents.

My Comment

I strongly feel that older people should spend rest of their lives with their children because there are some things that money can't buy especially "LOVE". Old age especially demands affection. Children are brought up by their parents since they are too young. Especially in a society to

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which I belong, parents are always ready for all the sacrifices they can make if demanded by life for the upbringing of their offsprings. So, if older parents are sent in some professional homes, they will not get the feeling being loved and accepted rather they would feel dejected by life. If all the members of a family live together, the unity amongst themselves will be strength and increases confidence in each of them.