What I wish elderly parents or the disabled would think about

by Anny

In most cases people choose to have children to care for and raise to become productive responsible adults. Physical care for the child is heaviest when they are newborns and toddlers. That physical gets easier over time as child grows to independence. The guidance and supervision aspects of care can be more challenging in the teen years until 18 when parents are no longer legally responsible.

Care of a parent, depending on health conditions, can last many years longer (than 18 years). Instead of getting easier the elderly parents becomes more dependent.

The adult children are already tending to job and family/grand children/children. Add the additional load of caregiving for elder parents to the mix and the stress becomes insurmountable. The caregivers own health eventually fails (some are driven to suicide).

Many of the now elderly never had to care for their elderly parents because they just didn’t live that long So, they got to live their lives in their mid years. Nursing homes and Assisted living facilities exist for this reason.

They are not a bad place to be when its no longer safe for an elderly to be home alone.

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Agree!
by: Anonymous

Well, what more can I add to what you have already said? You are right of course and I get upset reading the threads on these blogs thinking of what people are going through looking after elderly parents, it is frankly immoral. We seem to have such a problem as a human race accepting that we are going to die and seem hell bent on extending our lives even if the younger generations are thrown under the bus in the process. It is the ultimate in consumption and selfishness, this demand to live forever. When will it end? An an X-gener, I don't think my generation will accept this lingering death in care homes. I plan on moving heaven and earth to avoid putting my children through what we ourselves have been through. Having seen it and experienced it I hope it gives me the strength to end my life if I still do not have the option of euthanasia. There is a big difference between being alive and living.

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So True
by: Anonymous

I agree with you completely. Physical regression is NOT the natural order of things. I was in a care home earlier this week and the elderly lady opposite was drinking out of a toddler's beaker (with the lid on) and cradling a dolly.

I read many of the posts on this website and the fact that the elderly are looking after the elderly is plain wrong. How on earth did we all allow this state of affairs to happen? 60, 70 year olds with huge caring responsibilities. At what cost? Not one that is remotely worth paying in my opinion.

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