THE INTERNATIONAL - International Indian

[ PERSPECTIVE ]
Lifestyles for the aged in
India and the US
“A while ago, when I toured the very large country of the US of A, I could not help but
notice the joie de vivre and zest for life that the silvers have. Nothing stops them – some
are walking slow, holding on to walkers, being wheeled along by attendants, but go they
must! You see them at museums, at malls, at tourist spots and everywhere that
other (‘read younger’) people go to!”
[ BY ShYamola Khanna ]
Jacquelin and Philip Sheehan had
driven down to New York in their
RV(recreational vehicle) all because of
19 year old Celia, an exchange student from
Turkey who was with them for just one week.
Philip is 71 while Jackie is 68. From New
York they were driving down to Washington
and then they were to return to Massena,
their home in upstate New York. Philip’s
sister, Connie Hall (62) rides a motorbike
for fun and to test her endurance.
Edith Fisher(77), was out on a tour of
the Grand canyon with her two daughters
and her grandson. Whenever there were
long stretches of walking to be done, the
daughters would leave her behind and walk
ahead. She did not mind and was quite happy
sitting around admiring the view. Edith has,
in any case, lived her life very much on her
terms and continues to work for Wal-Mart in
her home town. Vivian Parker(78) is on her
second job – painting copies of Rembrandt
from the originals in museums!
She drives to Washington from 15 miles
away to go twice a week to the Museum
of Modern Art so that she can paint and
indulge her long standing interest. Till a
few years ago, she was working as a scientist
Jacquelin (68) and Philip Sheehan (71): Age doesn’t restrict them from leisurely driving miles together
in a government organization. Her friends
have been asking for the copies of the
Rembrandts she does – that is what keeps
her excited and makes her look forward to
the next one!
A while ago when I toured the very large
country, I could not help but notice the joie
de vivre and zest for life that the silvers have.
Nothing stops them – some are walking
slow, holding on to walkers, being wheeled
along by attendants, but go they must! You
see them at Museums, at malls, at tourist
58
THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN