Mexico has succumbed to all manner of American influence, mostly evident in the youth who flock to Starbucks. However, as more and more Mexican women join the workforce, the country’s elderly could soon find themselves in an equally American institution: the nursing home. Call it what you want—retirement community, nursing home, senior center—it’s an entirely new concept to consider in a country where, until recently, the aging were cared for by family both immediate and extended. As the concept of a two-income family quickly becomes the norm in urban areas, many seniors are left wondering what’s going to happen to them.

In response to the aging dilemma, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México has created a geriatric studies program in order to train public service workers who care for other families’ grandparents. Located in Toluca, high in the mountains of central Mexico, they’re creating programs to encourage mobility and various services, such as free dentures.

During a recent community service program, the scene seemed quite normal to an outsider: a room full of seniors playing board games and doing low-impact exercise with the help of a volunteer. Here in Mexico, though, this was a novel idea. Mexican seniors of the past didn’t have to worry about being cared for by strangers. But, as Mexican women continue to become vital fixtures in the workforce, an increasing number of families will be faced with the decisions that we in the U.S. have been making for generations: What do we do with our grandparents?