Introduction
There is a growing demand for more engagements in career and other occupational activities. In most cases, children have been forced to stay away from their parents as they pursue their own interests, but this remains possible and with less stress as long as the parents are still independent. When the parents get old the concern of taking them for institutional care arises. This leads to the question of whether the children should be responsible to their elderly parents or take them to institutions for professional care.
Thesis statement: Adult children should take care of their elderly parents
Support for the idea of children taking care of their elderly parents
Taking care of the parents by the children remains the best as compared to institutionalizing them. The parents are denied the family bonds they have always enjoyed in the family. Institutions are a new environment for them; this means they have to take time to adapt to the new environment, get to know the new people and be accustomed to the professional caretakers. There are some cases where the children may be forced to go against their parents’ will not be taken to institutions for care; in this case, such parents are likely to feel neglected by their children. Elderly parents always have lots of life experiences, both elder and younger children get to learn from them what is not taught in schools when children take care of them within the family the contact between them and the children is maintained. The children are also able to learn from their parents through interacting with them.
Most importantly, the children should take care of their elderly parents because while they were young and entirely dependent on their parents, especially the mother, the parents did everything for them. Some of the parents might have had careers and went ahead to make sacrifices that the children may also be forced to make for their parents’ sake. Placing parents in institutions limits their freedom. At home, they are still able to exercise their authority over their children. In the institutions, they have no other but to conform to regulations and schedules of the institutions, and this includes limited mobility freedom. This means the parents must just do what other parents are doing. Letting parents be in the institutions will reflect the notion of being irresponsible on the part of the children.
Support for putting parents into institutions for the care
When parents are either conditionally or unconditionally unable to take care of themselves, they totally become dependent on the children. This would mean such children must reduce their personal activities and focus on providing the parents with their needs. This may also mean spending money in getting house helps to take care of their parents while they go to work or away, the children may also be forced to sacrifice career advancements, switch to part-time jobs, or reduce the number of their working hours to take care of their elderly parents, due to this unstable work schedule for most children some industries experience reduced productivity. Putting elderly parents into institutions will allow their children to fulfill their career obligations. Most institutions for the elderly are run by governments and non-governmental institutions; taking them to such institutions will help reduce the time and financial cost of taking care of them at home. Institutions for the elderly provides an environment in that the elderly parents meet as peers, they are then able to share ideas and stories about their past achievements. This has the effect of eliminating loneliness. In such institutions, elderly parents get professional attention from well-trained and knowledgeable social workers, doctors, and nurses. They are also able to participate in more social activities as compared to parents taken care of by their children. The parents are able to get specific enlightenment through specific education programs, the authorities concerned also ensures that the rights of the elderly are protected.
Conclusion
Placing elderly parents under institutional care has the benefits of ensuring that their nutritional, health and mental requirements are taken care of, their rights are protected and they also engage in social activities. The parents also get to form solidarity with one another. However, it is also crucial that children take care of them; this will help them maintain their autonomy as parents and also feel part of society. The elderly are the source of enlightenment to the young generation, letting remain in the family context allows their interaction with the young people who learn certain values from them. So it is still very important for parents to be taken care of by their children within the family context.