Reply to Do the elderly always end up alone?

Forum Index » Eldercare

Reply to "Do the elderly always end up alone?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Previously worked on elder care and had a parent who was in a full-care facility for many years.

Bottom line in future:  I predict elder care will be increasingly done by medication, robotics and technology. Essentially, warehousing the elderly in larger and larger facilities.

Even now, many elderly are over medicated almost to the point of stupor and are often completely bed-ridden, to be able for staff to manage them easier and spend less time on their care.

Profit is the motivator. Most assisted living and 
Skilled nursing facilities are corporately owned now and are  primarily interested in profits.

In China, they already have huge high-rise facilities where the elderly are assisted by technology (robotic meal delivery, sensors/cameras in room, beds/wetness sensors, robots lifing/moving people) where all of it is monitored by a central "command post." 
Basically, no need for staff unless/until a monitor shows distress or a specific need.

I am certain this will be elder care in future America.

Welcome to the 21st Century
[/quote]

This is horrible. [/quote]

It may be better than having grandma sit in her soaking wet bed waiting for the overworked nurse's aide to come and change her sheets.[/quote]

Or falling down the stairs in her own home that's unsafe to live in. Or allowing water damage in a bathroom to get so bad that whole forms in the subfloor.[/quote]

But what some of us are saying: WHY isn't there a better in between option??? That makes it safe and social for them and takes some of the work out of it for their adult kids? And allows those adult kids to be more compassionate and caring towards their elderly parents?

I'll be honest, I am shocked at some of the attitudes and views I've read on this thread. Viewing parents as nothing more than a hassle. Such lacking in empathy. While it IS hard and those views are understandable at some level, I just don't understand the  . . . sterility or lack of wanting to care for parents that some of you are displaying. So I guess the answer to the original question is, yes, in this country, get ready to be alone.

That's really sad. And scary. [/quote]
I think you are reading it the wrong way. People aren't saying that they don't want to take care of their elderly parents, but that it is extremely difficult if you have a FT job and also have kids to take care of. That's hard enough; throw in an elderly person who doesn't have to do what you say unlike a child, and the stress level goes way up.

My sister had to quit her job to take care of my  mother who has dementia.  They are lucky that she can do that because they don't have high expenses even as they live in hcol area, and she is single with an adult son who can also help.

I have kids and work FT. The thought of having to take care of my mother in addition to my current responsibilities is daunting, and I think something would have to give.  If I give up my job I would not be able to support my mother financially, nor would I be able to pay for DC's college.

It's fine to live with your elderly parents when they don't need so much care. But, once they need a certain level of care,  it becomes overwhelming.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics