The twilight years, the sunset days, is this what it comes down to in the end ?
By recycledgoth
@recycledgoth (9894)
February 22, 2007 9:38am CST
I read an article recently about the care of the elderly, and in particular some of the so-called care homes. It seems to me that some of these care homes are quite happy to charge extortionate amounts of money yet provide little or no care for the residents. It made me angry to think that these people are allowed to get away with it, even more angry when I realised that both my parents could well be in this situation. My parents are both in the mid 80's, frail and sick, yet they are fiercely independant and are still able to manage in their house.
I was shocked to discover that if they were to go into a care home it would cost anything up to £1,000 a week - each! They would have to sell their house, all their treasured possessions, just to afford to live in a care home. But where is the justification in these extortionate fees? All their lives they have worked, and paid their taxes, yet now, in their twilight years, they are terrified of losing what little they have left simply because they might have to go into residential care.
Do we, as a modern society, truly care for our elderly?
Do we really allow such indignities, permit such excessive fees, and such poor standards of care?
Do people in other countries and other societies allow this situation to occur?
I would like to hear your views, for or against, what are your feelings?
2 people like this
3 responses
@luzamper (1357)
• Philippines
24 Feb 07
We in the Philippines usually do not allow our parents to live in the Golden Acre or home for the aged as we have strong family ties and we live with our parents until they die. However, for those who can afford to pay the high fees and have no time to take care of their parents, they take their old folks to such institutions.
We pity old people and see the need to take care of them better so we registered the Alpha Omega Seniars Intl Foundation, Inc. for senior citizens, widows, orphans, disabled, poor intellectuals, etc. to help the elderly and we have projects to house and support them for free but the Foundation is not operational up to now for we lack funds. The main source of funds should be the books donated to the Foundation but still not selling and so no income as yet.
If we can personally take care of our old parents, they should not be taken to such institutions which really charge excessive fees but with poor facilities and sometime inhuman treatment of the elderly.
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
24 Feb 07
I wish I had a home big enough and the funds available, I would happily have my parents with me until the end of their days. I just find it dreadful that while some of these places can be very good, the fees are so high that the elderly rapidly become paupers. Thank you for your comments, they are valued.
@whacks (774)
• Philippines
24 Feb 07
Even institutions for the elderly are commercialized and it's a good source of money nowadays because they take advantage of yes charging high fees and soliciting donations from big companies and rich people purporting to use such amounts to care for the elderly when in fact they don't spend the big bulk of the amount actually for the benefit of the elderly but for their own personal interests. It's very difficult to avoid these so for us, we organized a foundation where we do not charge anything but give everything free but it's very difficult to implement too because we do not have a stable source of money to fund our projects. We have the devotion to help but we do not have the money for operational expenses.
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
24 Feb 07
You are right, these places are run almost entirely to make huge amounts of money with little care or thought for the residents. The profits they rake in each year must be massive when you consider the fees charged per resident. when I think of how hard my parents worked over the years, and the amount of money they paid in taxes and national insurance, it makes me so angry that they will be left with nothing but indignity.
thank you for your comments
@wmg2006 (5381)
• United States
24 Feb 07
It is a shame for these places to take everything a person has spent their life earning and then letting them basically care for themselves. My Mother is elderly and has this great fear of being put in a home. she was sufferering dementia terribly bad and I was doing everything I could, but I also work full-time and have a child. Neither of my brothers were willing to do anything but put her away. I was so close to letting it happen too, because I was so wore out. But things are better, she is on medication to help with the dementia and I live next door. It is still very hard and tiring, but there is no way I could let her go to one of these homes. They have a teeny tiny room they get to call home. They are ordered around and mistreated while the homes get their possessions. No we as a society does not take care of our elderly and it is such a shame. The barbaric people took better care of their family members than we do. I am so against this whole situation. Our government would come out better paying a family member their normal salary to take care of their own family rather than paying fr a home that does not take care of anyone.
2 people like this
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
24 Feb 07
You make a very good point there hun, if the government did make it easier for people to care for the elderly, then we could take better care of the elderly. I'm glad your Mother has you close by, even though it is difficult sometimes, I wish I lived closer to my parents but I couldn't afford to buy a house down there.
I am dreading the time when I will have to make the awful decision but your words have given me food for thought.
1 person likes this
