The Indian family system offers more security to the aged than what is found in the West.

DISCLAIMER

In India, the very basic family values which are followed are respecting elders, taking care of parents at old age, respecting our Guru or spiritual teacher, contributing towards the society and mankind as a whole selflessly and passing on our cultural, spiritual and ancient heritage to our children. It is very well known and a very age-old fact of Indians to take care of their parents in old age. Senior citizen homes and assisted living concept has just begun. They are still more prominent and often practised  abroad and not in India. In India, it is still considered a taboo and hasn't yet become a conventional to send our aged parents or relatives to Old Age Homes. Taking care of parents in their old age is a basic duty of a child – and, as believed in India, he or she gets lot of ‘sukarma’ points for doing so, and substantial negative karma for not doing so. 

The elderly in India are generally obeyed, revered, considered to be fountains of knowledge and wisdom, and treated with respect and dignity by family and community members unlike the way aged people are treated in abroad. Old age is a time when a person is expected to relax, enjoy solitude, retirement, pray, enjoy spending time with the grandchildren, and not worry about running the household or about finances because the oldest son is now in charge of the finances and family matters, and the oldest daughter-in-law is generally running the household. In most instances, the elderly care for their grandchildren and assist with cooking and household chores. Even grown up children continue to consult their parents on most of the important aspects of life.