We are one of the fastest-aging immigrant communities in the U.S. In the Bay Area Indian American diaspora of over 350,000, 13% are above 65, yet their voices are seldom heard in conversations about aging. 

On September 15, India Currents sat down with a group of them at India Community Center in Milpitas to ask what growing older here really looks like. 

Senior members of India Community Center settle in for the India Currents community gathering on Sept. 15, 2026 in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)

They came from Milpitas, Fremont, San Jose, and from around the Bay. Some have lived here for decades, some came to be closer to their families, some have raised children and grandchildren in two countries and most have adjusted to new homes, new languages, and new rules more than once.

  • Vijay Rajvaidya starts the conversation at the community gathering on Sept. 15, 2026 at India Community Center in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)
  • Snigdha Sen, contributing editor at India Currents talks about the caregiver crunch at the community gathering on Sept. 15, 2026 at India Community Center in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)
  • Nandita Bose, contributing editor at India Currents explains transnational and dementia care at the community gathering on Sept. 15, 2026 at India Community Center in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)
Senior members of India Community Center listen in when Vijay Rajvaidya, CFO, India Currents starts the conversation at the community gathering on Sept. 15, 2026 in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)

Ask someone what’s gotten harder with age and you’ll hear practical answers. Back in India, there was help at home. Multitasking takes more effort, memory slows down, and technology keeps changing. Medical appointments feel rushed and don’t have apnapan. They also want help that’s more than just a website link.

Underneath all that, there’s something softer. Children have their own lives. When families live in different cities, the physical distance often becomes emotional distance too.

“What we find more difficult after coming to this country is communication with our children, communication within the family, because we hardly get to meet each other. Children have their own lives, and they hardly make an attempt to get together. If you make time, they make excuses and even sitting on the dining table together, everybody is on their phones, so that’s a huge impediment that we never faced growing up; with our children that’s huge barrier.”
“After we elders arrived at the house, there’s been a change in the atmosphere at home. I think a lot depends on us on how we behave with our kids and grandkids, how much we love them…humein respect chaiye aur unko prem [we want respect and they need love].”
“Earlier in our parents’ generation, they always expected that we are younger, so we should respect them… But what I learned growing up is that in order to get, you have to give first… to your kids, to your colleagues, your friends, to anybody…You have to set examples. You can’t just tell them to do this, do that. You have to communicate. You have to love them…Whatever way you want to express your love, you do it first. You do it and see, you will get a return.”
Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney, journalist at India Currents distributes a one-page guide to building a senior-friendly home at the community gathering on Sept. 15, 2026 at India Community Center in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)
A senior member holds the one-page guide to building a senior-friendly home at the community gathering on Sept. 15, 2026 at India Community Center in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)
Kamal Mirchandani (L), a senior member at India Community Center, speaks with Vijay Rajvaidya, after the community gathering ends on Sept. 15, 2026 in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)
After the conversation, the seniors moved to the lunch tables, and the talking didn’t stop; on Sept. 15, 2026 at India Community Center in Milpitas, California. (Photo by Sobhan Hassanvand/India Currents)

When the formal session wrapped up, many seniors stayed. One by one, they approached the India Currents team with questions they hadn’t asked in front of the group: how to navigate legal issues, being a caregiver themself, how to find reliable helpers for around the house and more.

These requests and their survey answers now guide the next phase of Aging with Dignity. Seniors and families who want to stay in touch, or who have questions of their own, can reach India Currents on WhatsApp here.

Prachi Singh is the Audience Engagement Editor at India Currents. She is a journalist who worked at Bay City News for audience engagement. She was a Dow Jones News Fund intern and part of the inaugural...