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Old
age homes are passe. Say hello to 'retirement' homes
Daljit and Swaran Mongia were left alone in Delhi, when
their daughters left for the US. After shuttling between
India and the US, even trying to live alone for a while,
both opted to stay in Godhuli, a senior citizens home
run by an NGO, Servants of People Society of India.
It has been a good decision for them.
"Running your own house is also problematic at our age.
Alternatively we decided that a senior citizen home
would be a better place" says Mongia, Resident of Godhuli.
Hot
destinations for retired people: Pune,
Dehradun, Goa and Kerala are fast emerging as preferred
destinations for the retired and would-be retirees.
While Pune and Bangalore, the oldest destinations
for retired citizens, offer several models to choose
from, developers in Dehradun, Kerala and Goa are catching
up fast.
Rs
10 cr old-age home to get 5-star facilities:
If you are feeling guilty about leaving your old parents
in a dilapidated old-age home, help is coming your way
to help lighten the burden on your conscience. A swanky
old-age home, being constructed on the outskirts of
the city, will be ready in about a year and will boast
of facilities which even some five-star hotels would
envy. ... Besides, several NRIs whose parents don t
want to join them abroad, had evinced keen interest
in the project as they feel the elders would be better
cared for in the old-age home. A large guest-house,
where children or relatives of the inmates can come
and stay for upto a week, is also being constructed
in the campus. We are sure this will be one place where
elderly people would like to come and stay and not be
resentful about the attitude of their children, added
Dani, who is turning his trip to South Africa, to watch
the World Cup, into a fund-raising trip. [Times of India]
The
nest is empty: The old lady is one of thousands
who now form part of the fast swelling segment of the
elderly - the parents of Non-Resident Indians who are
left here to fend for themselves. Some of them mark
the hours at sabhas and temples while halfway across
the globe, the time races by for their children....
Some parents of NRI's fret that in a generation
or two, their families will completely lose their Indian
identity [The Hindu]
Who
Cares For An Aging PIO?:
You have no doubt heard of the Indian businessman or
professional who has made it big in America, with his
stable of swanky Mercedes cars in his multi-car garage
in sprawling suburbia, whether in Princeton, New Jersey,
Hempstead, New York or Sunnyvale, California. With the
Internet revolution spawning so many young Indian millionaires,
you would have also heard that the Non-Resident Indian,
now renamed Person of Indian Origin has earned widespread
recognition among his peers at work, among his friends
in the Indian community as also among his American neighbors.
..... From a financial standpoint, after becoming naturalized
American citizens, PIOs would qualify for benefits that
the state offers like medicaid or medicare. But, not
having contributed to the Social Service Administration,
the PIOs will have to depend largely on the largesse
of the son or daughter or the extended family. [Rediff]
The
World at Your Feet: Notes from an Itinerant PIO on Freedom:
These notes from an itinerant PIO may be helpful to
those of us who are constantly traveling from one chaotic
continent to another in search of love or livelihood.
For example, I find myself impatient to describe certain
subtle but nonetheless consequential differences between
Indian and western notions of freedom. In Hindu philosophy,
the term moksha is the closest translation for the English
terms liberation and freedom. But the Hindu belief in
reincarnation implies fundamental differences in the
Indian and prevailing western liberal understanding
of what is actually meant by freedom and how one might
go about being really free. [chillibreeze.com]
Old
age homes: The biggest concern for NRIs is failing
health and security of their parents.We do get inquiries
but our priority is to offer rooms to seniors who do
not have shelter and are abandoned by their children,"says
Farsubhai Kakkad of Jivansandhya. The phenomena encompasses
entire Gujarat. [TOI]
Reversal
of the empty nest syndrome: All their children
went on to specialise in different fields. Two of the
girls married men of their choice and the third settled
for an arranged match. One son was in the USA and the
other was working in Mumbai. They were in no hurry to
get tied down to the bondage of matrimony. She and her
husband reconciled to the way their children chose to
live. They were content in the knowledge that they had
provided a solid foundation which may not have been
luxurious but rested on the strong bonds of familial
love. [Tribune India]
The
loneliness of the NRI parent: Is a weekend call
from your geographically distant children, the highest
point of your entire week? Chances are you are an NRI-parent.
Often considered the worst hit by the- empty-nest syndrome
-because the children are now good seven seas away.
You will never admit to the vague feeling of being alone,
which has crept up unawares. The children have really
been gone for quite a while now. They turn into International
students, at 18 or 21, depending on whether they are
leaving for their Baccalaureate or Advanced degrees.
'Undergrads' or 'Grad students' as they are referred
to in the US, they often taste success quite early.
This is, of course, thanks to an upbringing where a
high value was placed on education and discipline. It
is quite easy to broaden interests and make a whole
base of friends from people with varied backgrounds
at 'School'. Yes, reputed Universities are referred
to as 'Schools', as you know. They move on to jobs,
buy houses and become parents themselves. Soon they
are ready to be 'naturalised'. You take pride in their
achievements, as you always have. [ChennaiOnline]
Research
papers
Differences
in the Structure of Depression Among Older Asian Indian
Immigrants in the United States By Sadhna
Diwan, Satya S. Jonnalagadda, Rashmi Gupta
Abstract: This study examines the validity of the
short form (eight items) Center for Epidemiological
Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), as a screening tool
for mental health problems among older immigrants who
are minorities. The factor structure of the CES-D is
examined empirically using two samples of older Asian
Indian immigrants in the United States: the first sample
of 226 English speakers, and the second sample of 114
Gujarati speakers residing in Atlanta, Georgia. The
CES-D, administered via telephone interviews, showed
high internal consistency. Exploratory and confirmatory
factor analyses for the English speaking sample showed
two factors indicating positive and negative affect,
whereas the Gujarati-speaking sample yielded a unidimensional
factor where depression was not differentiated, suggesting
that depression may be conceptualized and manifested
differently among diverse groups of older immigrants.
Culturally competent practice with older adults should
include an awareness of these within-group differences
and their implications for practice in diverse groups
of older immigrants.
Older
Asian Indians Resettled in America: Narratives about
Households, Culture and Generation
Jyotsna M. Kalavar Contact Information and John Van
Willigen
Abstract: Immigration in late life can be a complex
experience. Older adults who have spent a considerable
part of their life in one cultural milieu face several
challenges in adapting to a new societal framework.
Demographically speaking, the numbers of immigrants
of Asian Indian origin continue to rise phenomenally
in the United States. In this project, the experience
of Asian Indian elderly immigrants to the United States
was recorded through home visits and personal interviews.
Parents of adult immigrants often choose to immigrate
late in life primarily for purposes of family reunification.
Providing assistance with raising grandchildren was
also an important consideration. This article explores
various aspects that surfaced from the analysis of interviews;
these include personal investment in adult children,
language/cultural barriers, use of formal services,
acculturative experience, aging in India, intergenerational
relationships, and expectations for the future. The
findings highlight the need for gerontological research
that is culturally attuned to the needs of these elders
so service delivery may be optimally provided.
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