Despite the dictates of tradition, the growth of nuclear families, the lack of space, the advent of both men and women working, a difference in lifestyles, have all made it increasingly difficult for the young to accommodate aged parents within the family. A strong sense of duty may prompt many of them to adhere to the old way, but the stresses and strains of such arrangements, more often than not, take their toll today on both parents and children.

Interestingly, it is the old who now have begun to insist on living on their own. They dislike the idea of losing their independence and they resent having to change their way of living. Moreover, they are loath to forsake their friends and familiar surroundings. Worst of all, they cannot bear the thought of doing without the paraphernalia of their own homes ? their furniture, their pictures, their books, and their bric-a-brac, all part of the fabric of their lives.

Yet by the time they are old, and all the birds have left the nest, they often find themselves in homes that are much too large for them. Even if this is not the case, they have difficulty in coping with day-to-day problems. Domestic help is notoriously unreliable, and even getting a plumber or electrician in to do a small job takes on the proportions of climbing Everest. They want to live independently, but free of all hassles.

But how can this be achieved? I wrote sometime ago about complexes that have come up in two or three places in the country that are especially tailored to meet the needs of the elderly. They follow a scheme that is imaginative, simple and effective. Senior citizens purchase a flat for the duration of their lives in a complex that extends over several acres. The complex has many facilities which the residents can avail of if they so choose, such as restaurants, a club, a common dining hall and so on. Medical facilities and a maintenance department are also available. There is even a guest-house to accommodate visitors. Here the old can live independently and in their own homes, yet have all their daily difficulties taken care of, with the added bonus of having like-minded and contemporaneous company to hand.

Now I hear of an enterprising lady in Delhi who, recognising the need, has created a trust and converted her large house into a series of self-contained apartments specifically for the old who wish to live independently. The apartments are well-appointed, with special attention paid to the needs of the elderly. These apartments do not come cheap: they involve a returnable deposit and a high rent. However, other entrepreneurs are bound to follow in this lady?s footsteps, and at more reasonable cost. After all, demand and supply always go hand in hand, and clearly there is a demand from the elderly for independent but easy living.