Institutionalising compassionate, structured, professional elder care   

Ageing is an inevitable journey — one which deserves dignity, independence, and neighborhood. In India, the best way we navigate this part of life is quietly, but steadily, present process a metamorphosis. The normal notion of ageing throughout the care of joint households is giving option to extra structured, skilled fashions of senior residing — ushering in a brand new period of assist, wellness, and goal for the aged.  

An unseen shift

To many in city India, retirement communities have been lengthy seen as a Western idea. There was a collective assumption that institutional elder care was one thing wanted “elsewhere”— in third-world nations grappling with social disintegration maybe, not right here at dwelling, the place household programs are presumed to be sturdy.  

However malnutrition, persistent sickness, loneliness, and inadequate geriatric care typically stay hidden behind closed doorways, even in so-called well-off properties. The shift in how India views elder care is a response, not simply to demographic numbers, however to lived realities which are slowly, and undeniably, altering.    

Take the case of Raghavan, a retired financial institution officer in Bengaluru. The 76-year-old embraced a brand new chapter in life by shifting right into a senior residing neighborhood, interested in what it may need to supply. What started as a step into the unknown quickly become a vibrant routine — he now leads a ebook membership, takes music classes, and enjoys the rhythm of shared meals and tales. His journey displays the rising prospects of ageing with goal and connection.  

India has a rising ageing population and life expectancy has improved marginally from the Nineteen Seventies. However the amount of years is just a part of the story. The extra urgent query is — are we making these years rely? Wholesome life expectancy — that’s, years lived with out debilitating illness or incapacity — lags behind life expectancy (70), at simply over 60 years. This hole of a decade between life expectancy and wholesome life expectancy highlights a important problem: the necessity to not simply add years to life, however life to years as nicely. Selling diet, early intervention, psychological well-being, and accessible geriatric care should now change into nationwide priorities. 

A day within the life 

Stroll right into a senior residing facility in the present day and the very first thing one notices shouldn’t be unhappiness, however construction. Mornings start with yoga or physiotherapy, adopted by balanced meals tailor-made to particular person well being wants. Group areas buzz with conversations, laughter, and shared actions — be it gardening, storytelling circles, or pageant celebrations. On-call medical professionals, common check-ups, and therapeutic periods guarantee each preventive and responsive care.  

Residents typically communicate of those services as of discovering a second dwelling — a spot the place their individuality is revered, their illnesses are monitored, and their loneliness addressed. “I used to take a seat by the window all day. Now I’ve pals once more,” says one octogenarian at a centre in Tamil Nadu.   

These properties don’t merely substitute households; they recreate neighborhood.  

In later life, human connection turns into as very important as medication or diet. Analysis exhibits that older adults with sturdy social bonds are considerably much less prone to expertise melancholy or cognitive decline. In senior residing communities, group actions, shared rituals, and significant peer interplay supply extra than simply engagement — they create a way of belonging. For a lot of residents, these connections usually are not solely uplifting however transformative, changing solitude with companionship and goal.  

Breaking the stigma  

For years, the very thought of senior residing confronted deep-rooted resistance. To maneuver one’s mother and father right into a facility — nonetheless well-equipped — was seen as an abandonment of filial accountability. Social guilt, bolstered by cinema and collective reminiscence, bolstered the picture of dutiful kids as sole caregivers.  

However as dual-income households, geographic separation, and nuclear households change into the norm, households are reevaluating their stance. Structured senior care is now being seen not as giving up, however as stepping up and making certain elders obtain the skilled, round the clock assist they want and deserve.  

The shift has not been swift. However it’s now unmistakably underway.    

For Meera and Arvind, a working couple of their thirties, the choice to maneuver Meera’s mom right into a senior care dwelling was fraught with emotion. “We have been fearful of being judged,” Meera admits. However seeing her mom thrive, be part of artwork lessons, obtain skilled care, and kind new friendships on the dwelling, introduced aid and reassurance.   

What started as a motion in city pockets is now reaching smaller cities and districts too. The emergence of senior residing communities in tier-II and tier-III cities akin to Erode in Tamil Nadu displays a change in mindset amongst residents.  

Historically considered as bastions of family-based elder care, these cities are actually on the frontlines of the evolution of eldercare. Households listed below are more and more acknowledging that love and care additionally imply making certain elders obtain skilled medical consideration, nutritious meals, psychological stimulation, and emotional assist.  

That this acceptance is rising in non-metro areas speaks volumes.  

Systemic gaps persist    

Even because the personal sector innovates, systemic challenges stay. India’s healthcare infrastructure lags in geriatric readiness:  

• There are only one.5 hospital beds per 1,000 individuals, in opposition to the World Well being Group’s advisable 5.  

• A extreme scarcity of geriatricians in each private and non-private sectors persists.  

• Fewer than 10% of hospitals are geared up with elder-friendly services.  

• There may be little coverage route on end-of-life care — an space the wants each delicate and pressing consideration. There are only a few suppliers participating in discussions round post-life wants, bereavement assist, or legacy planning.  

This vacuum is slowly being crammed however loads stays to be achieved.  

Wanting forward  

The way forward for elder care in India lies in embracing a mannequin that’s medical, emotional, social, and non secular: one the place ageing shouldn’t be feared however celebrated; the place rising previous doesn’t imply rising alone. This isn’t nearly infrastructure. It’s also about mindset.  

With India poised to change into one of many world’s largest ageing populations, the query shouldn’t be whether or not we’ll adapt. The query is how briskly —and the way pretty — we will adapt.  

*Some names have been modified to guard privateness  

(Dr. Karthik Narayan R. is founder & managing director, Athulya Senior Care. karthik@athulyaseniorcare.com)  

This text was first printed in The Hindu’s e-book Shades of Gray: Geriatric Care and its Social and Financial Sides

Printed – September 09, 2025 07:30 am IST