Nursing Homes As An Alternative For Old Age

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“We carry torch in fear of darkness and we bring up children in fear of old age”. With this statement I bring my understanding that children should take care of their parents in old age where they need a hand to walk. Parents take the responsibility of providing emotional, financial and moral support to their children. However, when ageing parents become extremely dependent and in need of care and love, they leave their parents at some nursing homes to receive the love and care. Although people might think that a nursing home facility is best for their ageing parents as it is said that older people receive utmost care, it should never be encouraged as an alternative for old age due to the following reasons.

Firstly, many elderly people are not used to staying in different environment with the strangers, they will feel socially disconnected from their friends and family at a nursing home facility. Sending your loved ones away could result in them feeling abandoned. The lack of attention and communication from family and close friends would cause the feelings of loneliness which would ultimately lead to mental health issues like depression.. Thus, elderly people will feel lonely with no close friends and family to socialize with, which is why they should not be sent to a nursing home.

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Secondly, the routined life in the nursing home can be quite uncomfortable to many elders, as they loose their self governed life to the management. They can feel imprisoned or enclaved to the command of the caregiver. They will not have the independence to live according to their interests. To conclude, when they are sent to nursing home they will not have the freedom to make their own decisions but to follow according to the rules and regulation of the care givers. Therefore we should refrain from sending our elders to the place where they feel enclaved.

Thirdly, residential aged care is excessively expensive. Elderly people must pay a basic daily fee of $48.44 per day at a residential aged care facility. Moreover, they have to either sign a bond or make an accommodation payment ranging from $200,000 -$1,000,000 to get admitted in the aged care. To sum up, residential aged care is overpriced and many elderly citizens who are financially challenged cannot afford to buy such services. Since residential aged care facility is expensive, it should not be a choice for the elderly.

Some people might say that older people in residential aged care receive utmost care, but ironically, they get mistreatments. There are cases where many of them were ill-treated and abused. A 35 year old man (carer) was arrested for battering an 82 year old resident with a shoe in Sydney (The Guardian, 2018). When frail health needs constant loving touch from kith and kin, elderly people get mistreated in a place we think is a haven. Therefore, they should not be sent to a place where they are ill treated by the care workers.

In conclusion, old age home can be very tormenting and elders feel unattended not physically but emotionally. It wont be a surprise to have many elders in depression at such places because the homes shall provide services to physical needs but the vulnerable emotional needs are totally left out and can lead to the biggest failure. Additionally, they will feel helpless without having the right to make their own decisions and they are found to be mistreated by their care giver too. Therefore nursing homes should not be an option for the elderly people if we genuinely care for their safety and happiness.

Bibliography

  1. Support The Guardian. Thursday 09 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/06/sydney-aged-care-worker-arrested-for-allegedly-assaulting-elderly-man (accessed 10 06, 2019).
  2. Harrington, Michaele. ‘The Effects of Loneliness and Isolation on the Elderly.’ 27 06 2017. https://mylumin.org/the-effects-of-loneliness-and-isolation-to-the-elderly/.
  3. Ibrahim, Briony Murphy and Joseph. The conversation. 06 03 2018. https://theconversation.com/too-many-australians-living-in-nursing-homes-take-their-own-lives-92112 (accessed 10 4, 2019).
  4. ‘NursingHomeAbuseGuide.org.’ http://www.nursinghomeabuseguide.org/.

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