I am moving to Coimbatore

  29 years in Mumbai, 3 years in New Delhi, and after 50 years in Chennai I will be moving to Coimbatore in March 2023 to lead a life without responsibilities

I thought I would share with you the reasons for my decision to move to Nana Nani (Phase 4) a Senior Citizen Home in Coimbatore, though   I already have a good support system in Sastri Nagar where I am staying with my son`s family surrounded by siblings living in the same housing complex.

The idea took root in my mind after I wrote the article titled `Home away from Home- a Life without Responsibilities`  for which I visited several Senior Citizen Homes and interviewed scores of residents in such homes. Most of them were  NRI parents with their children staying abroad. But many of them were also seniors whose children were staying in Coimbatore or other cities. Still, they opted for the Home because of the independent life without day-to-day responsibilities such Homes offered. I found most of them were very happy with their life in such Homes.

After Prabha passed away in 2013, I was enjoying the independent life I was leading, looking after myself and offering whatever physical help I could offer to others.   In the last couple of years, the aging process and the consequent steady decline in my health with all kinds of aches and pains have made me worry about the possibility of my becoming dependent on my children and a nuisance value. I miss Prabha now.  She could have taken minute-to-minute care of me if I was unwell as only a life partner can do, without my feeling guilty about it. This has created an anxiety syndrome in me. My spirit is still willing to take on challenges but the flesh is becoming weaker and weaker.

Today well-run senior citizens' homes offer an excellent alternative life for those who are financially independent and who are living alone leading an insecure life. They also provide reliable facilities for dependent parents living with children in nuclear families when they are not in a position to provide any help to their children because of a lack of energy and stamina.  As I find myself with my two little resident grandchildren. They are fun but I find that I can`t run after them or cope with their boundless energy.

Some children appoint full-time caregivers to look after their dependent parents. This is not practical for everyone due to space constraints and other reasons. Many of the senior citizen homes offer assisted living facilities within the community without the children having to worry about such parents on a day-to-day basis. Though at present I don`t need such care, I am looking ahead and being prepared for any eventualities.

The second reason is the condition of the beautiful Home I built 42 years ago. Age is also catching up with the Home which is witnessing many cracks endangering the security of the family. Though I  have seen water entering the ground floor of my independent home where I stay almost every year when it rains heavily, the recent experience because of the cyclone in Chennai has broken my endurance limits. I don`t want to live in the house to face the nightmare of another flooding of the house. With the possibility of my siblings also moving out for the same reason, and the families going for a redevelopment of the property, I  wanted to clear the way for my son so that he can look at plans without having to worry about me.

Why Coimbatore when there are many Senior Citizen Homes in and around Chennai? Better weather and the fact that my younger daughter Sowmya is now settled in Coimbatore who could be a first respondent in case of a health emergency, have influenced the decision.

I want to make it clear that the decision is based on my habit of thinking ahead and looking for out-of-the-box solutions to some of the problems I faced in my life. I  may still come back to Chennai if I am not happy with life in the new Home as the lease of the apartment is for 11 months only. Besides I will keep visiting Chennai whenever an occasion demands my visit. So friends in Chennai, do not bid me goodbye, yet