Filipinos and the Elderly
By RingoBerry
@RingoBerry (71)
November 16, 2018 9:56am CST
No country is perfect. I've been to a few but I still come home to where I was born and would truly prefer to spend all of my days here in the Philippines.
Despite of so many things that could be said negatively, one of the few things that truly makes me proud is how Filipinos treat their elderly family members. I can't deny that there are some who ended up in homes due to different family situations, but if they can, they would care for their granmas and granpas and love them to the very end.
I only realized the difference when a few of my friends came to visit years back and they saw that I have seven grandmothers and five grand fathers. All of them were in their mid eighties.
I was even surprised and somewhat insulted at first when they asked why we still have them at home, but I realized for them, in their respective countries, elderly homes are more appropriate so they have access to the best care.
My answer was simple. My granmas and granpas won't be happy in a place like that. They are family and family should be the ones caring for them.
5 people like this
5 responses
@nawala123 (20860)
• Indonesia
17 Nov 18
in indonesia, our granpas and granmas also at home. very very rarely live in elderly house. if a family bring them to elderly house, they gonna cursed by their neigbour or big family (extended family member). we respect our elder by caring them at home
2 people like this
@Namelesss (3368)
• United States
16 Nov 18
Wow, I'm still trying to figure out it is you have 7 granfathers and 5 grandmothers all in their 80s. That seems impossible.
Like you said, different cultures.
1 person likes this
@RingoBerry (71)
•
16 Nov 18
Ahh.. it's because they were my mum's aunts and uncles. Its a family compound. In the morning, you'd see them cleanly lined up sitting on their little chairs, trying to get some morning sun. Amongst my siblings, I'm the only one who grew up in that compound. I was spoiled rotten by them. I guess its another reason why I want to stay in this country.
2 people like this
@Namelesss (3368)
• United States
16 Nov 18
@RingoBerry That explains it, makes sense now. I think it is wonderful you want to take care of them and keep them all together and home. So often the elderly here just can't stay in their homes for many reasons. Usually by then the kids have homes of their own and quite often their parents/grandparents don't want to live with them.
1 person likes this
@dave121495 (1296)
• Philippines
18 Nov 18
It's the families job to do that. It's something unwritten that we must do.
1 person likes this
@geenwood88 (237)
• Philippines
18 Nov 18
It is instilled in our culture to always obey and respect the elderly. The reason we grew up to become what we are now is because of them. I think it is not fair to send them to an elderly house or a home care because they are also part of the family and they really deserved to be loved with care.
1 person likes this
