Post #1359721

2026-03-28 09:11 UTC

@naturepunk It all comes down to respecting their wishes and their consent. Sometimes that isn't easy. Culturally Chinese families take in their elders, and I kinda did it without too much concern. Back in the 80s and 90s we did a lot of work within sheltered and supported housing, and I saw first hand the types of personality that works with, those it is less suited for. And nursing homes really wouldn't have suited them. I had the discussion with my parents, and it was a joint agreement that I would look after them at home, it just became them in my home instead of me in theirs. Dad, in later years, was absolutely against us moving to Wales, so we waited. Now he has gone, Mum is more than happy to move with us while she still can. She is 93 now and still holding her own against the world. I am looking forward to Mum enjoying seeing where Sue and I end up. @Susan60

Replies (1)

@Susan60@aus.social 2026-03-28 21:22

@Maker_of_Things @naturepunk I think a lot more western families used to take in their oldies too, but as pointed out in the article, this has become a long term project in a lot of cases. It used to be that oldies would often die within 3 or so months of moving into care (a comment on their health, not necessarily the standard of care), but that is no longer the case. Those oldies are hanging around a lot longer, which sometimes means their estates (if they had one to start with) are at risk of not lasting long enough to fund their care. And for those looking after indies at home, the prospect of doing so for 10-30 years is daunting! I was thinking about how the one child policy in China must be impacting people as those single children now deal with elderly parents, & in-laws.

Open ##1359722