Why elderly parents may want to live apart from their adult children
They don’t need their children’s spare room. But they do need their children present.
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Many seniors here still live with their families. But the direction of travel is unmistakable, says the writer.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Wee Shiou Liang
When 70-year-old Aunty Mary’s husband passed away, her adult children asked her to move in with them, fearing she would be lonely.
But she refused. She enjoys a good relationship with her children and sees her grandchildren every Sunday. But she wanted to remain her own person, with her morning walks and wet-market routine. Living with her family would cramp her style.