They Cared for Us. Now We Care for Them: Why India’s Culture of Family Care Still Matters

There is a story that has played out in thousands of Indian families.

A young father leaves his home and travels thousands of kilometres to earn a better living for his family.

For many Indian families, the destination was the Middle East.

Dubai. Abu Dhabi. Doha. Muscat. Riyadh. Kuwait.

He worked long hours, lived away from his wife and children, and saved what he could. The money paid for school fees, a better home, a daughter’s wedding, a son’s education and, hopefully, a more secure future for the family.

Years passed.

The son grew up.

The daughter built her own family.

And the father came home.

But time had changed him.

The strong man who once carried the family’s responsibilities may now need help walking, bathing, travelling to the hospital, taking medicines or simply getting through the day.

And something beautiful happens in many Indian families:

The responsibility changes hands.

The father who once cared for his children now becomes the one being cared for by them.

In India, Care Is More Than a Service

Eldercare in India has traditionally been deeply connected to the family.

It is not unusual for children to see caring for ageing parents as a responsibility, a relationship and an expression of gratitude—not simply as a healthcare requirement.

The Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), provides some useful evidence of this family-centred structure.

Among Indians aged 60 and above surveyed in LASI Wave 1 (2017–18), 40.6% lived with their spouse and children, while another 27.6% lived with children without a spouse. Together, that means about 68% lived with their children. Only 5.7% reported living alone.

LASI also notes that in India, children and families have traditionally carried primary responsibility for caring for older adults.

This is important because the Indian eldercare story is different from a model where ageing automatically means moving into an institution.

For many families, the preferred answer is:

Stay at home. Stay close to family. Bring the care home.