At the community I am serving, we heard the news about the death of one old man that the description given made everyone recognized who had died... "That old man that always pushes and uses his bicycle to walk to and fro his farm everyday on the road". I can't even express just how sad I get whenever I saw the man struggle with his bad leg and his bad bicycle back home.
I wish I knew a way to help but nothing could be done from my end that would relieve his struggles as I heard the legs had gone bad for so many years and he had no children to take care of him. He had to cater for himself in the most little way (farming) until he died. Even after his death, it was a quiet and quick burial as he didn't have much for himself, no much relatives too.
In a case like his, I wish someone had taken the responsibility since a long time ago to send him to a retirement home but then, we can't blame anyone as it is mostly what children can do for their aged parents, not strangers except they are philanthropists mostly. When it comes to caring for the elderly ones, there are the options to be weighed and considered best for each family.
The older people need as much care as little child do and it is the responsibility of the children to care for their older parents whether by themselves or they spend their money for professionals to do the job. In any way that works, the priority should be that they are well taken care of. Where I come from, I doubt there are much older people in the retirement homes.
This is because, most aged people are taken care of at home by their children or they are abandoned to live by themselves because their children got too busy with life and they refused to go live in the city with them. While it isn't easy to care for the aged ones, it's much easier when it is done by their loved ones and with the mind of creating last memories and moments for them.
Personally, my family has two elderly people who we have to weigh options in making sure they have good enough care as they age even more. My only grandma alive from my mum's side and my family's eldest aunt who is like a grandma to us from my dad's side. There are others aging so fast too like our eldest uncle and second eldest aunts but they are still in the working level.
From what I know as a grandchild, they are being taken care of but from a far distance. What I mean is, they have refused to join most of their children in the city or to live with their new family. My grandma will say "I can't leave my farmlands, nobody will care for them when I'm away" forgetting that she will die someday and leave them if she isn't taken care of by her children.
Some aged people want to keep living in their hometown and not even in a retirement home. Weighing the options, I would prefer to make sure they have enough money to get whatever they want and limit the workload they have to do. I'll also make sure to visit as often as I can to help check their health, listen to them and laugh with them, my grandma enjoys having us around.
So if money isn't an issue, I believe we don't have to be always present to care for our aged ones but we can't abandon them totally, it's an option that shouldn't even be considered. They deserve and should receive our care. What do you think?
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