Then, in the name of economic growth and labor specialization, we push the elderly among us into nursing "homes", to let people who are more "efficient" take care of them.
Finally we realize efficiency can mean inhumane treatment, and in a bid to restore "dignity", put them back in homes. Without us living with them, of course.
Oh, the irony.
- we have nowadays a life expectancy of 85+. 50 years ago was much less - meaning that we depended on family much less time;
- lower classes don't have a significative better purchasing power than back in the day - meaning that affording to stay at home is not always even a choice;
- elders caring was backed by staying at home women - roles and families have changed;
- elders have less and less children - meaning more work 'per child'. Nowadays, in the globalised world, if there are more than one child is improbable that all live nearby or even in the same country/state.
Reciting poetry is not an efficient way of solving problems. And hard ones by the way..
Once that better nursing home is built, very few will be able to afford it. I know I will not. Yet, I do not lose hope.
Paint the zimmer frames red, for example.
One symptom of dementia illnesses is that your vision is affected; you stop seeing some things if they're the wrong colour. Red is the last colour to go, so you want all cups to be red on a contrasting colour table so that the person can see it and drink from it.
Having red zimmer frames means people see them and use them, reducing falls and increasing mobility. (Falls are really damaging for older people. It's kind of surprising how much life is shortened from a simple fall.)
Apologies for .doc
How much does cost a low-end nursing home in the US? In South Europe $2k can get you a mid-end nursing home.
