The study on the plight of elderly women, living in families vis-a-vis oldage homes of Chennai city, revealed that women who were in the higher age bracket, with more education, and belonging to Christianity, preferred to live in homes. Similarly, those having one or more children, who had lived in nuclear system, hailing from urban areas, had never worked in the past, and those who owned no property, were found to have preferred staying in oldage homes than their counterparts living in families. More home-based elders were satisfied with their stay, since they got adequate and tasty food, received appropriate medical care, personal comfort, and care and affection. Half of them had none to support, and had both physical and psychological problems. While more family-based elders suffered from vision problems, more home-based elders had hearing difficulties. More than 80 per cent of them felt that they were missing their children. All the elders living in the families, as well as 70 per cent of them from oldage homes, expressed that living in families gives them the real happiness.