Who should look after the elderly? The government by providing care homes or families?

The care of old people is an issue all over the world as it is no longer clear that who has the responsibility to look after them. In my opinion, both the government and the family have to have equal contribution to tackle this teething problem.

Many people argue that the government has to pay for the care of old people which usually means that the old people go to another old people's home where all people are given equal and high quality care. Many countries with excellent taxation law such as Sweden and France have operated this system very efficiently.

However, this expensive system cannot be implemented all over the world. As we know, the money comes from tax and many countries simply cannot afford it. It also means that old people go into homes where they know no one and have nothing to do.

Another alternative is that families to support for their elderly relatives. In theory this provides loving care and means that old people can be an active member of the family as they often teach moral lessons through an allegory. In practice, it often does not work out, as families nowadays have limited time because of their busy schedule and also most families do not have enough money, and so, much acrimony is created, and the old people is abandoned. To illustrate, my country where the government has no support for the family to look after their elderly relatives.

To recapitulate, neither of these solutions is good. Therefore, mixture of both solutions would be the best where the government has to support the family through monetary aids and also old people should save up some money during their working lives to look after themselves in old age.