Archive

With the lifespan of Zoroastrians increasing to 90 years and beyond, will the extra years be gainfully spent amidst family and co-religionists? Or will people be cast aside, pining for company? Longevity brings with it varied age-related illnesses, the most daunting of which, memory loss and dementia, add another dimension to the dynamics of care giving. 

Nawaz Merchant and I presented a white paper on the global picture of aging in the community and its ramifications at the 12th World Zoroastrian Congress in 2022 in New York. "Our aim in doing this exercise and writing this white paper was to sensitize the Zarathushti population about the situation in India and in the diaspora and to stress that now is the time to take action.” The data for this presentation was collected between 2020 and 2022. This article will deal only with the situation in India, especially in Bombay (for the complete white paper see "Advancing with age,” Parsiana, May 7-20 and May 21-June 6, 2023).

"How the global Zarathushti community addresses the challenges of a large aging cohort will determine how we are judged by future generations. Did we abandon our seniors and leave them to struggle alone? Or did we mobilize our immense creativity and partnership to care for them to make their declining years safe and joyful?... Zarathushtis do want to support their own family members. But what about those who have no families or are unmarried? Do we have an obligation and responsibility to support those in the community?” the white paper inquired.

Around 75% of the world’s Zarathushti seniors live in India. Of the estimated 19,500 global Zarathushtis aged 60+, nearly 14,500, reside in India. North America with nearly 2,751 (1,901 in the USA and 850 in Canada) and Iran with 1,000, account for the second and third highest tally of seniors. Additionally, there are around 650 in the UK, 315 in Australia, 150 in Pakistan, 60 in New Zealand and 17 in Oman, according to the facts and figures, with analysis, presented in the white paper.

The age composition of the Parsi population in India over 60 years of age was 31% in 2011, "probably the highest in the world,” and rising. This has resulted in a high dependency ratio where the care of the seniors falls upon a few adults, many of whom are earning and caring for young families. Also, a large number of Zarathushti seniors live alone. Some are unmarried, others widowed or with no children or their children are living abroad. In the absence of family, they have perforce to pay handsomely for carers who may or may not provide adequate care. Further compounding this problem is inflation in India over the last few decades with the value of savings having decreased by 78%. We need to think anew to find solutions for housing, loneliness and illnesses.

Bombay has many baugs. Some residents live on higher floors, probably alone and with mobility issues. They are trapped in their loneliness, deprived of companionship or help with daily activities. Vacant apartments at the ground level or part of the pavilion could be used as day centers for seniors with weekly if not daily activities.

With longevity comes increasing incidence of cognitive decline and behavioral problems making it difficult for multigenerational families to live together in small apartments. Parsi hospitals with large lands could set up a wing with state of the art geriatric units. This should be a place where people are not warehoused, but receive active treatment that maintains and slows down further decline. Dementia is becoming a major problem for the community without adequately trained support staff to care for them.

Each baug could have an infirmary where minor ailments of seniors could be treated at affordable rates.

The community has facilities for seniors to live comfortably in the company of other seniors, but these facilities are underutilized. Some seniors feel they are being "abandoned” by the family. A concerted effort must be made to educate the community about the benefits of living in a congenial and safe atmosphere. The media has a role to play in bringing a change in the mindset of the community against the idea of abandonment.  

At the World Zoroastrian Organisation Trusts (WZOT) senior citizens’ centers in Navsari they have 45 occupants although the capacity is for 50. The other homes are even more underutilized. At Navsari’s Parsi Infirmary, only 39 of the 61 beds are occupied. In Surat’s Nariman Home and Infirmary, which has a capacity to house 35 males and 15 females, there are 22 males and five females. At the F. S. Parukh Dharamshalla, managed by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), 56 of the 100 beds are occupied. (Data for these institutions was provided by former BPP chairwoman Armaity Tirandaz and chairman of WZOT Dinshaw Tamboly in September 2022.) 

Bombay has other institutional options for seniors such as the Parsi Ward at J. J. Hospital, the Gamadia Clinic, the old age home at Masina Hospital and the Pallonji Shapoorji Home for Senior Citizens at The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital. Two new centers for elders introduced last year are The Living Tree, launched by the Master Foundation in New Bombay and Healing Touch, Senior Citizens Home at village Garade, 23 km from Poona, started by retired merchant navy officer Capt Adi Mistry. All are reportedly underutilized.

Seniors miss visits from children. Those without families have to combat both loneliness and depression. Being unable to do the things they once could takes a toll on their self-esteem. Impacted by isolation, the medical consequences of limited interactions can be devastating — 29% increased risk of heart disease; 32% increased risk of stroke; and 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults. With the extreme burden of caring for people with dementia and behavioral problems, there will soon be a need for a specialized memory-care facility for Parsis.

"Many think that poverty only means being hungry and homeless. What they do not realize is that the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is poverty of a far greater kind, a poverty that no one should be made to endure,” says Tamboly.

Various solutions have been offered throughout the world to assist seniors deprived of love and attention. Able adults could provide service to the aged and "bank” the hours so that the period they have devoted to community service is recorded and it is made available to them when they in turn need assistance. Or those unable to repay financial loans could be given the option of compensating by way of community service hours. Of course, this needs an organizational set-up. Is the community willing to undertake that?

Yet another recommendation is to introduce commercial ventures like "Good Fellows” sponsored by former Tata Group head, the late Ratan Tata, that offers seniors high quality interactions and positive relationships through a subscription model (at Rs 5,000 per month) to avail of a young companion for walks, doctors’ visits, assistance with technology or just conversation.

While most Zarathushtis prefer to remain in their own homes, some specified they would like to be around other Zarathushtis as they get older. For the over 80% (15,706) of Zarathushti seniors who reside in India, Pakistan and Iran, growing old in the proximity of other Zoroastrians is becoming a challenge. And many middle to low income families do not have the financial wherewithal to cover unexpected expenditure on illnesses without incurring debt. While care of the elderly may not be a "surprise expense,” adequate provisions are not always made.

Many of us will soon reach the ninth decade of our lives. What we find there will depend on how well we prepare for it. 

Dr Dolly Dastoor is a clinical psychologist and was assistant professor of psychiatry at McGill University and Centre for Aging, Montreal, specializing in the assessment of dementia. She is past president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America and currently editor of the FEZANA Journal.