Choosing between shifting a Senior Living Community vs. Living Independently
Are Senior Citizens better off leaving their current setups and settling into Senior Living community? With the advent of advanced senior living communities where ‘living a vibrant life’ is a big focus, it is no longer viewed through a negative prism as the traditional old age homes were.
The United Nations Population Fund and Help Age India estimate that the number of elderly people is expected to increase to 173 million by 2026 from around 76 million today. Of these, 29% of seniors—60 years and over—live in urban areas. So, clearly there is a need for services that will keep the senior citizens safe, healthy, active and comfortable. In communities such as Nana Nani in Coimbatore and Antara in Dehradun, to name just two, we have a proven model where senior citizens can ‘retire’ and lead a healthy and vibrant life. This model works!!
But, do they have to leave the familiar confines, the social status, people network that has built over their lifetime in order to lead a vibrant, healthy and comfortable life? The answer is ‘No’. Living in the same neighbourhood that they are used to, they can continue to lead an active life without having to undergo any radical changes, maintain their social standing, maintain the attachment to ‘their’ place etc. There are gaps that need addressing though, such as quick access to healthcare, getting routine things done, networking with like-minded people, to name a few.
Senior Living Community vs. Independent Living
| LIFESTYLE NEEDS | GATED SENIOR COMMUNITY | INDEPENDENT LIVING |
| Health Emergency | Standardized Process with possibility of hyper-local triage | Personalized Process, use of Medical Emergency Infra (such as 1066 Ambulance) |
| Safety & General Health | Facilities designed for seniors. Process for the community in place for general health | Minor changes to living premises. Personalized approach to maintain general health |
| Activities to engage/be entertained | Activities come to your community. Can also be a limitation | Tap into the variety that the home city presents |
| Disruption to Life | Big change – mentally and logistically – to shift to a new place | None |
| Ease of getting things done | Built into the design of the community | Needs a personalized process to help with things to be done |
| Maintaining Identity | One amongst many | Unique |
| Connection with home city | Can be lost or strained | Continues to be strong |
Obviously, there are advantages in moving lock, stock and barrel to a gated retirement community, but, there are compromises that need to be made. With the advent of personalized support services these days, one can enjoy all the benefits of living in a senior retirement community within the cozy confines of their current homes, maintain their social ecosystem and lead a normal life without having to approach it as the last phase of life.
Should you be considering these choices or your parents, please feel free to Contact Us for any information that we could help with.
Further Reading
Forget Old-Age Homes, How India's Senior Citizens Are Giving Life A Golden Lining, Outlook
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29 April, 2020
Mithu Kale
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