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Andy Bunting's avatar

Yet more wicked & evil profiteering that will cost the elderly folk's lives.

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Dani Richards's avatar

similar here in the U.S. Costs vary, depending where you live and the level of care needed. The economic equation changes, also, if there is one person needing care or two -- if two, one caregiver in the home may be a savings over a care home placement for two, even sharing one room. If a person needs only daytime care while the adult child goes to his/her job, it can be cheaper to be at home. A 24/7 caregiver is astronomically expensive, so then the equation tips towards a care home/assisted living.

The arrangement you suggest, someone who gets "room and board" as part of their salary, is live-in, but who does not work 24/7, might be a good deal.

Having elderly Mom/Dad move in with adult children sounds like a good solution, but once the needs increase to the point of needing a keeper at all hours and help with all activities of daily living, without support for the caregiver that is very, very difficult, especially if the adult child is full-time employed outside the home, or is experiencing their own aging issues (for example, someone in their 60s caring for someone in their 80s/90s).

We need to do something, though -- care for elderly who need care is increasingly beyond the reach for many -- so very stressful.

I suggest assisted living placed on college campuses, where the elderly can attend classes to keep active and involved, and the college students can vastly subsidize their tuition or room/board by part-time caring for their elderly neighbors, and form friendships between the generations. That might be a win-win.

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