"Taking Care of Parents Means Taking Care of Finances" This article discusses the financial constraints an aging population puts, not on the welfare system, but on the family unit, and ways to cope with them. It raises an interesting juxtaposition (that many comedians have noticed), that as parents age they often require childlike care and can become childlike in manner, thus forcing their offspring to care for them.
Sep 22, 2009
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I find this role reversal like a circular process of aging. We begin as a baby, move on to our adolescence, then adulthood, elder-years, and finally to a stage in life where we are not able to take care of ourselves like babies. Babies are fed, bathed, diaper-changed, and constantly cared for just as elders are when they are no longer able to "take care of themselves." This brings up an interesting question, at what point do elders, or others decide that one cannot care for themselves?
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, it is a common custom in Japan for a husband's mother to live with the family. I'm not sure how this custom came about, however regarding the NYTimes article, it seems as though the same custom is becoming a trend in America. As we age and gain more experiences, we all inevitably acquire higher responsibilities that exceed our own self-interests. Perhaps it's a natural tendency for the offsprings to care for their parents due to the certain responsibilities that comes with age.