he Pain and Joy of Caring for Parents
I think society has always been about family members caring for each other and providing emotional support to the people who are not able to live independently. According to (Lally 2019), family members are the ideal people to provide emotional support and help with self-care to older adults. In many societies, caring for the elderly is the duty of everyone in the community, but it is the sole responsibility of the family members, especially the children and grandchildren of the concerned adult. In my opinion, elderly parents should be provided with the best environment that promotes their health status and provides comfort in their last years.
I want to be there for my parents during their hardest years, especially during their last years. These are the times that parents should enjoy the fruits of their efforts in bringing up their children. It is time for the children to give back to their parents. Family involvement n the health of the elderly has proved to be efficient. Furthermore, many cultures believe there are blessings that people received for caring for their parents during the last years (Lally, 2019). To people who believe this, failing to provide the needed care will probably attract misfortunes in one’s life, and hence it is advisable to ensure good care for the elderly.
However, to be able to provide efficient care, one has to have a source of income to ensure the needed resources are available. Gardiner (2019), noted that caring for the elderly means putting your life and profession on hold, and this is a sacrifice many people are not willing to make. Furthermore, family grudges stall relationships and create a distance between parents and children that hinder decisions to care for the elderly.
References
Gardiner, A. (2019). ‘I Put My Own Life on Hold’: The Pain and Joy of Caring for Parents. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/reader-center/taking-care-of-elderly-relatives.html
Lally, M. (2019). LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT: A Psychological Perspective By Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French.