Beyond independence: beliefs about positive aging among Indo-Caribbean people in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Gerontological scholarship has predominantly centered Western frameworks positioning autonomy, productivity, and biomedical health as universal markers of aging well, marginalizing non-Western perspectives. Despite constituting significant populations in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, Indo-Caribbean communities remain largely absent from the gerontological literature. This study examined how Indo-Caribbean adults conceptualize positive aging, attending to the cultural values, practices, and meanings shaping their understandings. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: 42 Indo-Caribbean adults of retirement age from Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago participated in semi-structured interviews conducted virtually between January and June 2024. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, with a culturally diverse research team engaging in independent coding, collaborative discussion, and ongoing reflexive practice throughout. RESULTS: 3 themes emerged. Remaining Needed and Capable in Family Life revealed that aging well meant sustaining contribution to family networks through provision, guidance, and presence, including transnationally. Living Faith and Keeping Culture Alive showed that religious observance and cultural transmission, including prayers, cooking, and ancestral stories, were understood as personal purpose and collective duty. Finally, Maintaining the Body Through Traditional Knowledge captured how participants drew on bush medicine, herbal remedies, and food-as-medicine practices, asserting ancestral health wisdom alongside biomedical care. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Indo-Caribbean beliefs prioritize relational interdependence, cultural custodianship, and intergenerational knowledge over personal independence, reflecting indentureship legacies, transnational kinship structures, and ongoing cultural negotiations. These findings challenge dominant gerontological frameworks and carry practical implications for healthcare professionals, community programs, and policymakers working with Indo-Caribbean older adults across Caribbean and diaspora contexts.