Prompt: Many elderly people are no longer looked after by their families but are put in care homes or nursing homes. What are the advantages and disadvantages of that trend?

Senior citizens are being increasingly ignored by their close relatives and resultantly are admitted in older homes or nursing facilities. While this has many advantages like better care and sharing feelings with the like minded people who are from the same age group. But it comes at the cost of various negatives. Ċ The most obvious advantage of keeping elderly people at the old centres is that they will be better looked after at such facilities. In other words, geriatric diseases like arthritis and ischaemic heart diseases are quite prevalent in this age group that require regular medical check ups and timely medications. Since, nurses and health care workers are a part and parcel of such old homes, it is likely that the elderly people will get regular health evaluations and treatments. In contrast, living with their young progenies who have are often busy at their jobs, stand a better chance that their health checkups and treatment may get missed or delayed.  Furthermore, these older homes provide elderly people an opportunity that they can interact with people who not only share a common physical needs but also bears similar minds and thoughts. This is seldom a case of those elderly or lone parents who are residing with their grown up children. Thus, elderly parents living in the old care homes and centres have various positives. Ċ Nevertheless, despite the above advantages, there are a few disadvantages of leaving older people at the old homes. Parents, if forced to live at such centres sounds rather more selfish on the part of the children. Instead of reciprocating the love and affection that they deserve because of the difficulties and hard work they put in while raising their children, leaving them dependent on the strangers is perhaps immoral and unethical. For instance, interviews from the inhabitants of such old homes that is recently published in a journal states that how badly they miss their families and grandchildren who are not there when they need them the most. Ċ In conclusion, leaving the elderly people in older homes has both advantages and disadvantages. It is, however, suggested that families should involve elderly people in this decision-making, without forcing their own decisions on them.