Our current modern culture addresses the needs of our
aging population by institutionalizing our elderly. These
institutions include nursing homes, continuing care retirement
communities or assisted living facilities. All of the institutional
alternatives mean relying on strangers for the assistance-in-living
elderly need.
The better alternative is to return to the concept of
having the family taking care of its elderly. In the model
where 4 generations live together in one compound, we have
the son/daughter of the elderly take primary responsibility
for the care with support from the younger generation.
In this model, the wisdom, experience and friendship of
the elder generation are not discarded and they are a resource
for the children. The elder doesn’t feel useless
in this society and can contribute to the requirements
of living of the family to its best abilities (whether
it’s in the garden, in food preparation, or with
the laundry). In this model, the family can help the elder
self-administer medication and can provide the services
an aide would such as bathing and dressing. In this model,
the elder keeps a more than a modicum of independence.
In this model, the elderly do not have to sell the family
estate including the house, their heirlooms or their assets
and has it to assist the newer generations.
Today, with the advances in the curing of disease and the
possibility of not being institutionalized, our elderly would
have the ability and desire to live much longer. It is reasonable
to expect our elderly to live to 100 years and beyond. In
our model, our elderly can live these years, at home, with
family, in a satisfying and fulfilling life-style.
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