Senior Living – The Growing Trend in Southern INDIA

It was at a relative’s wedding that I met Mrs. and Mr. Sridharan. We were neighbors’ years back and hadn’t kept in touch. But we recognized each other instantly and got chatting to cover up for lost time.

Mr. Sridharan told me that they had recently booked a house in a Senior Living Community in Chennai. I was surprised since I knew that they already had a nice house in a good area of Chennai. Mr. Sridharan explained that a year a half back when they had returned to their hometown, they had thought it would be easy settling back in. But in fact, there had been some unexpected challenges! 

 Before they could go further, I asked them about their children. They told me that their son, Sundar, had settled down abroad and their daughter Aditi lived with her husband and family in another town at the other end of the country. The Sridharan were firm in their intention of managing everything on their own without disturbing their children who were busy managing their own family and career responsibilities. 

Mr. Sridharan continued, “It took longer than we expected to settle down. I tried not to let it get me frustrated! But if one thing got sorted, another problem would crop up. We had retired with comfortable resources and reasonably good health. We were looking forward to a comfortable, active life. We had thought we would enjoy every moment of our retired life with friends or on our own, doing all that we enjoy. But all our time and effort was being taken up by just the process of trying to settle down. And we were lonely and bored. People around us were busy in their life. It was a nightmare to even think of taking a break and going out, braving noise, pollution, and traffic, to visit someone or take in a movie outing.”  

In the midst of all this, Mrs. Sridharan had a health setback. Fortunately, she is fine now, but the experience got them to re-think their options. They asked themselves – what do we really require at this stage of our lives? We want the ease of living life with someone reliable to handle the day to day maintenance of housekeeping and cooking – Mrs. Sridharan deserved as much of a break from work as her husband! We want the ease of having like-minded friends near-by to share good times and get-togethers, joys, and sorrows. We want the security of knowing we are safe and have access to medical facilities, health checks, and a healthy lifestyle. In other words, everything that will help us lead the active, independent and enjoyable lifestyle that we dream of and deserve after having fulfilled our responsibilities to our family. It was this thinking that made them realize the value of Senior Living places and after some research, they selected Ashiana Shubham Senior Living located in Maraimalai Nagar, Chennai.

Impressed by what they told me, I researched further and learned that the Senior Living concept had become popular in India. Companies with experience in this sector are offering many facilities to lead independent, worry-free lives post-retirement. Tie-ups with hospitals, fun-filled activities and dining facilities are helping seniors lead much healthier and more invigorating lives.

 Ashiana Shubham at Chennai, for instance, keeps you away from the hustle-bustle and pollution of the city, yet is close enough to a major hospital with which it has a tie-up. It is surrounded by trees and has a beautiful clubhouse that will offer myriad activities and games. The dining hall will serve vegetarian menu. Cleaners and maintenance staff will look after your home. A look into the lifestyle and experiences of those residing in Ashiana’s other Senior Living projects tells us how their lives have improved after becoming a part of a senior living community.  So, the life Sridharans dreamt of can actually come true! And perhaps that is where I will be heading too.