The Elderly Are Active
There is no set retirement age; instead, people begin to slow down between the ages of 50 and 70, depending on their physical condition. Many people transfer to a Grossdaadi Haus (grandparents’ house) on the family’s property at this stage. The elderly will usually continue to operate around the family home as long as their health allows and will be cared for by the family’s women as they get older.
The Elderly Are Active
Meidung
Excommunication is reserved for the Amish culture’s most severe offenses, but temporary shunning is usually successful for less severe offenses. Shunning, also known as “meidung,” is reserved for those who violate religious rules and is used to shame the offender. This means that once the shunned individual has repented, no one in the group can eat, sleep with, or accept gifts from them.
Meidung
