As the societies develop and industrialization matures, an environmental change took place that requires the societies to take care of the senior citizens. This in turn transformed the traditional sense of taking care of the senior citizens.
This c...
As the societies develop and industrialization matures, an environmental change took place that requires the societies to take care of the senior citizens. This in turn transformed the traditional sense of taking care of the senior citizens.
This change in the tradition induced change on a quality level amidst the industrialization process as well, which is leading to significant problem related to care-taking of the senior citizens.
Both the West and the East, changed in a way that the care-taking of the senior citizens, which was considered as a role for the families is now assumed somewhat by the nations' social welfare system as the social structure is changing into industrial structure, which in turn led to the change in everyday life pattern.
Likewise, families face many problems while taking care of the senior citizens. The question of how much a nation should get involved depends on the applicable nation's socio-economic system, culture, social tradition or social welfare system.
Measures cited to resolve the issue of care-taking senior citizens include guaranteeing income, housing, medical care, employment and education. The share of the burden assumed by the nation, family and society depends by nation.
Nation's social welfare system can provide auxiliary support to the families to ensure senior citizen welfare. On the other hand, the system can unfold the policy of supporting the role to be played by families.
Moreover, there are limitations on how much a nation's welfare system can replace or complement the role that a family can play in terms of capability. Thus, the reality today is that families have to assume significant portion of senior citizen welfare.
Families' responsibility when it comes to care-taking of the senior citizens is like admitting the limitations of the society's responsibility, while societal responsibility mitigates the limitations of families' assuming all the burden, and contributes to the increased quality of life for the people.
Care-taking of the senior citizens is a specific and realistic issue that can be resolved only through the appropriate compromise and negotiation between families and the society.
It is not easy to determine the share of the care-taking to be assumed by a society and the family. However, it is necessary to come up with the standard rapidly in order to increase the quality of life, for the senior citizens, family members and the citizens in general and to mitigate conflict and struggle among the family members and society.
Accordingly, the concept of responsibility when it comes to the care-taking of the senior citizens is a question that can mitigate the conflict among the different generations and that can present important trace for the development of index for senior citizens' welfare.
Although the issue of care-taking senior citizens emerged as a social problem due to the increase in the number of senior citizens, which is considered as a direct reason, it is not possible to ignore other factors concerning social change such as spouse centered every day structure, lack of the retirement plan due to excessive investment made for children's education and wedding, and difficulty in care-taking of the senior citizens due to women's increased participation in the economic activities.
Moreover, another reason could be a decrease in the awareness on the families' need to take care of senior citizens due to the effect of the Western concept that is centered on the individuals. Therefore, there is a need to become aware of this issue as that which the nation and the society are responsible for. Thus, it is necessary to make an effort to develop macro and systematic means to provide systematic support instead of providing one time and micro level support.
Accordingly, this issue should be approached in a realistic manner, and it is necessary to realize that care-taking of the senior citizens is the way to head towards rich welfare nation in which the nation guarantees its citizens' basic everyday life, instead of merely approaching from the social and official manner.