Thread: Who Should Care For The Elderly?

Originally Posted by Arrianna

I have put family. If at all possible they should live with family. If however they need specialized help that the family cannot provide then steps have to be taken to get it for them. Eventually that may mean a home or assisted living. Especially then the family needs to be intimately involved in their care. They cannot look after themselves. If their family doesn't who will?

I back you on this one. The family is the backbone of any person and they should take care of their own.



xD

Simple answer. EVERYONE. You know the saying it takes a village to raise a child? Well it takes a village to sustain the child during their dusk as well. Well. . . at least when this metaphoric child is no longer able to support himself.

The elderly should b cared for by the young generation.They have played a part in shaping our society to allow us to live in freedom.We owe them a huge debt.Therefore it is the younger generation who should care for the elderly.

Definitely the family's responsibility to take care of the elderly. After all, if the elderly didn't bust their arse to make end meat for the family to survive and to have a decent education, no kid would have a comfortable life. Definitely the family's responsibility.

its the family directly or indirectly
directly if they are actually taking thme in
and indirectly of they are paying for someone to take care of them

I am all for the Eskimo approach...send them out on a iceberg to die...cost = 0 (unless you live in Florida and then maybe the price of a ticket?)

Seriously, I think it is the responsibility of those that have the ability to do so; it doesn't matter if that is family or members of a health care facility. The most capable should do it. I will say family first if possible then health care.

I'd say family first. Older people tend to not do so well in new environments. However, if one cannot emotionally or psychically take care of one, they should send them to a place for care or hire someone to care for them at their house. Both are rather expensive, but caring for someone during their last days is a 24 hour job. Many people grow depressed and lose out on time for themselves. With care costs, house/rent costs, expect to see much more multi-generation households sharing costs. Which may include the elderly. Another problem with family taking care of them is how they're viewed outside of the family. They'll have to deal with doctors, neighbors, friends, and paramedics. Not knowing things and knowing certain things lead to rumors, social workers, and even police. One problem with institutions are the fact they don't get quality attention. Most places have law suits and are understaffed. Keep in mind there is a difference between retirement homes and nursing homes.

Who is responsible for taking care of them? We're all pretty much are. Government programs, taxes, etc. too. They're still people.