i hope to be able to look after my parents, should the need arise. and...
on a more general note, I wish there was some way to subsidize family members taking care of each other, in certain situations. if, for instance, an elderly mother falls ill and the offspring are full time workers, kids, etc...
well, its usually off to the nursing home, out of necessity, not ill will or evil intent. problem there? nurinsg homes are rife with neglect, abuse, and...based on what I hear from my nearly 80 year old Christian friend...just -not- where most people want to go, ever. there are exceptions...
older members of my family ended up in these centers for older people, with nice apartments. then, when they needed it, care was offered on site in a different part of the facility. nice and all, but...again: with a subsidy, maybe a family member would have been able to help, sparing them confinement in a medical facility at the end of their lives? maybe?
i think this goes to deeper issues, too, such as the fragmentation of the family. usually seems to take 2 incomes to make a go of things. that means the kids are off to daycare, asap. need homework help? busy, over worked parents...after school program, upper incomes go for tutors. divorce is thankfully -less- frequent with 1st marriages than in the 70s and 80s, but still frequent enough to be considered by many social scientists to be a recognized part of the "normal life cycle," etc. ugh. happens.
and aging? pshaw. i dread it, not because im so cool and awesome (LOL), but because...depending on the industry, age discrimination can hit as early as the 40s, especially for women. looking at my parents...dad had an easier time of it, but i get the sense that once he hit 60, he felt older, because the younger set was changing the tone of the workplace. mama had it worse, she retired 60 or so.
rambling. it just seems...rough, that's all. get old, it seems many people are just..invalidated, socially. even by their families. happened to my nearly 80 year old Christian friend, -especially- after her husband passed away. even the HOA in her subdivision took on a mean spirited approach towards her, which...lines up with NT encouraging the faithful to visit widows, watch out for widows, etc. nothing changes under the sun? hmmm....