I meet a lot of rich people. Stop fooling yourself, you are rich. In this country if you have studied in college, live in a proper house, and have 2 meals a day, you are rich. Not middle class as we all love to pretend.

So these people have a few brilliant ideas..let me address them:

“So Mr. V you need to look at 2 options. One is a senior citizens home where you may want to live from age 70 years to age 85 and one Geriatric care centre where you may have to live from age 85 till the rest of your life”.

And he says:

“From age 70 to age 86 I will live on my own. I will employ a cook, driver and a maid so that my life becomes easier, but I will not move into an old age home”.

This man is in his 60s ..and I asked him..

1. Is your wife in agreement with your plans?
2. Do you know that housekeeping is far, far more difficult than just cooking?
3. You think you will be able to handle 3 servants?
4. In how many days will you find out that the silver trinklets in the God statue is missing?
5. In how much time will you be able to realize that you need to go to a doctor?
6. What happens if you get Alzheimer’s, or Dementia?
7. How much care can your 76 year old spouse give or how much can you care for your spouse?
8. What if the servants misbehave?

it may have been nice to have been in a Joint family. However now that concept is gone, so you have to prepare yourself for long periods of loneliness. Having just one kid means you are planning for a life of solitude. So learn to live by yourself, your books, pets, music, hobby groups, etc. One may have to live 10-15-20 years alone.

One lady was staying with her only daughter for a few years. She had a nasty habit of criticising her only granddaughter for her choice of food, dress, books she chose to read….etc. One day the son in law put her in an old people’s home, a few kms away.

As you get older, you tend to get obstinate, of single opinion, …etc. this becomes difficult for the others staying with you.

You now have an option either get together with your friends / siblings / cousins / and decide where you want to live. Try living in the same building in a location that you like. It will be possible to create common infra – security, cook, car, driver, doctor, nurse, manager – like what an old age home could provide. Even better move into a big old age home which will accommodate all of you.

For handling death, you need people.