An insight into how typical Indian senior citizens spend their time

Retirement is a key milestone in a senior citizens life. One is used to a set routine and active life pre-retirement, and it is often challenging to adjust into a post-retirement roles. Most adults were busy spending about 6-8 hours in office and suddenly they are faced with “what to do now?” This question is not limited to the working people but even homemakers who are not officially retired, also feel the gap once their domestic responsibilities reduce. Typically homemakers spent their time looking after the house, bringing up the kids, their education and providing meals for everyone etc. Once the kids are off to college or married their days too become unoccupied.

After the initial euphoria of retirement a sudden lethargy sets in and it is very important to maintain your routine and stay connected with the external world. It does happen that people become more homebound, feel less energetic and tend to spend more time in front of the television, or reading a book, sleeping instead of engaging themselves in some form of activity or going out. Mobility, lack of resources, introvert personalities and low self-esteem could be some other reasons for lack of engagement. It is very important for seniors to realize the fact that no matter how old they are, engaging socially with other people is very important. Through socialization, people adjust their perceptions, increase their knowledge, acquire new skills, and can spend some quality time. Moreover, engaging in group activities can be distressing and help build positivity.

To understand how seniors are keeping themselves engaged and active, we recently interviewed around 150 people from Gurgaon. Our questionnaire covered activities of engagement like watching TV, social work, religious events, taking care of grandchildren, help in running the house, clubs, kitty parties, pursuing hobbies etc. We also gathered data on their financial support systems and their understanding about senior social clubs and activity centers.

The participants were seniors belonging to different communities, genders and financial groups.  While interacting with them, we found that most of them spent their day routine similarly.

Here are some key findings from the study:

Most of the people start their day with the newspaper, religious practices followed by breakfast. We found that the participants especially men face difficulty to fill in their morning slots. Only 12.6% people visited some social clubs or senior centers, and most of them are men. Non-availability of government aided senior centres, lack of awareness or financial constraints could be reasons for this low participation in community initiatives.   

A majority of the population 32% out of which women (44%) and men (24%),  keep themselves engaged by taking care of grandchildren. There is a strong correlation between the financial support system and types of engagement for the elderly. Only 6.32% men are engaged in some form of part time work and almost no women are involved in part-time work.  We observed that more than 50% population has no structured engagement to fill their time especially the morning slot.

Most of the seniors were found to be taking afternoon naps and had evenings reserved for a walk in the park or meeting friends. Only 10% of the senior population is involved meaningfully in some kind of community work or volunteering. Engaging in a hobby could be another fruitful engagement but according to our findings, only 12% of the population spends time in pursuing hobbies. This stresses the importance of picking up a hobby early in life and to pursue it regularly.

In our study we also found a relation among the source of income and type of engagements. 20% of the senior population which depends on their children financially are majorly engaged in home based activities like watching TV, taking care of grandchildren and religious activities. On the other hand, 68% of the pensioner or elderly with second income, savings from working years are engaged in outdoor activities like community work, visiting social clubs, senior centres etc.

Some suggestions to keep seniors active–

Seniors must develop a routine because it will help them lead a purposeful life. Common questions like “What to do now” can be answered if a set routine is followed. People get sufficient time post retirement to take up or rekindle their hobbies. Engaging in community work or volunteering is another good way to age gracefully. Unfortunately in the Indian context, seniors don’t pursue hobbies and only a handful of them are involved in community work. It is advisable for seniors to make a routine which should include some brain stimulation activities, gardening, reading, writing, music, dance and playing board games. They must also include physical exercises like yoga, strength training and walks to ensure good physical health. Social interaction must be included as a way to de-stress and lead a more engaging life. Seniors can opt to join a senior club or centre to socialize and engage in some constructive activities like painting, music, exercises, blog writing, learning a new language or using the computer.

As the famous American writer Betty Friedan said “Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength”.

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