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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:12 am Post subject: Elderly suicides in South Korea |
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A story that the Korea Times, Korea Herald, and Arirang have somehow neglected to report. But they'll get right on those Hallyu and foreigner-bashing stories. There's a chart at the link.
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21591211-loneliness-and-poverty-are-killers-poor-spirits?fsrc=rss|asi
| Quote: |
Elderly suicides in South Korea
Poor spirits
Loneliness and poverty are the killers
Dec 7th 2013 | SEOUL | From the print edition
THEIR son-in-law’s visit was a customary show of filial piety for late November. But the homemade kimchi he brought to last his ailing in-laws through the winter would not be needed. “I don’t want to be a burden on my children”, wrote the 82-year-old in a note he left in the sealed house, along with two funeral pictures and a will. Media outlets were quick to note the parallels with the death of an elderly couple in “Late Blossom”, a rare Korean film on growing old that was a box-office hit in 2011.
That year more than 4,000 South Koreans over the age of 65 committed suicide: a rate five times higher than in 1990, and nearly four times the rich-country average (see chart). Yet these “silent suicides” rarely get the attention that teenage ones do, says Ahn Yong-min, a psychiatrist at Seoul National University (SNU) and head of the Korea Association of Suicide Prevention. Young deaths are seen as a cry for help and attract plenty of government funds, though their number is on a par with the OECD average. Attempted suicides among the old are ten times higher. It does not help that self-inflicted harm is not covered by the health-care system.
Many elderly suicides are carefully planned. That should make them easier to prevent than the more impulsive actions of the young, says Kim Yeong-sook of the Korea Suicide Prevention Centre. This year, part of a 2.5 billion won ($2.3m) budget for elderly suicide prevention—the first of its kind—helped train 8,000 caregivers to spot signs. In Seoul a “telecheck” service connects seniors to local volunteers, who call them regularly. Many of the city’s 29 state-run senior welfare centres deliver daily packed meals to their homes. They pick up those wanting to visit the centres but are too frail to travel in alone, such as Kim Dong-wan, a 77-year-old regular, who comes for the gardening, calligraphy sessions (run by seniors too) and laughs. “Nothing like this exists near my hometown”, he says. It is one of the reasons he left the countryside to live with his son.
But few have that luxury. Last year only a fifth of the rural elderly were living with their children. From the 1960s the country’s growing cities lured youngsters. Rather than invest in social welfare, the government “chose to sacrifice the family”, says Eun Ki-soo, a sociologist at SNU. It kept wages low and encouraged investment in education. Parents obliged, assuming that, in the Confucian tradition, they could rely on their children in old age.
Yet today half of South Korea’s elderly are in relative poverty, according to the OECD, which ranks the country’s seniors as the most destitute among its rich-country members. Cramped flats cannot accommodate three-generation households. And attitudes have changed: only a third of South Koreans think that children should support their ageing parents, down from 90% in 1998, according to the national statistics bureau. Yet in 2013 just a third of the old received a state pension, introduced in 1988. A basic old-age pension plan passed last month (set at 200,000 won a month for the poorest 70%) and is payable from the age of 65. Those who can, return to work—often as car-park attendants, street cleaners and security guards.
When illness strikes, some choose to end their own lives, like one of the couples in “Late Blossom”. The ten-session course on “well-dying” at Mapo Senior Welfare Centre in Seoul includes a screening of the film to discuss approaches to death. Participants write a will and their own tombstone epitaph, visit a crematorium and have their funeral picture taken. Yet the firm hope is that they will choose to go a different way. |
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oatmeal
Joined: 26 Nov 2013
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| Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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I won't get into the "social system" aspect of part of the cause for this rise in elderly suicide but I will mention something else that plays a part in this.
The sad reality of the so-called modernistic korean life is largely opposite to what it was for the generation before them. Their parents/grandparents generation was a generation that had less focus on "glamour" and "appearances" and "superficiality" but more so unappealing humble modest hardwork. The former generation grew up believing that by investing money in their children/grandchildren, they would be in essence putting money into a sort of retirement plan where they would be taken care of and looked after by their children later on in life. That's how it was done for generations previous. Unfortunately not anymore. Today's korean mindset is "betrayed" the former ways of the past and the young generation are blamelessly a self-centered generation. It's a time when superficiality, materialism, and shallow self-aggrandizement reign supreme and traditional values such as modesty, honour, and family are shrugged upon as a nuisance. The old generation appreciated hardworkers not matter how dirty and ugly you may have looked while doing it. But today's generation looks down on people who have DDD jobs not admiring the qualities that it takes for someone to sacrifice and work that hard to earn an honest days wage. It's no surprise to me that so many young koreans are turning a cold shoulder to their elderly family members as "not my problem". They would much rather spend all their days hanging out watching kdramas, kpop, shopping to satisfy their hedonistic lifestyle and demands, think about how to surgically enhance their faces and bodies, and plan where to eat and what to wear that symbolize progressive-trendy-person-here. The last thing on their minds is often visiting grandparents, spending the day with them, helping them out cleaning the house or harvesting crops from the fields, learning how to homecook traditional meals passed on from generations, etc. I can completely understand why these elderly people would feel depressed, abandoned, lonely, left behind, ignored, and left for dead...when you are left for very little to hope for in life and very few options, suicide seems to be a way to end the pain.
Of course not all koreans are like this and many do love and care for their families but this is the general trend that is going on amongst today's korean youth that is contributing to these suicide rates among the elderly.
It would be nice to a lot more programming in the mainstream media that depicts elderly people with higher esteem, regard, and respect to teach the young people the importance of family, love, and sacrifice. Life is much more than just looking like a kpop celebrity. |
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rabidcake
Joined: 10 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 2:08 am Post subject: Re: Elderly suicides in South Korea |
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| dairyairy wrote: |
A story that the Korea Times, Korea Herald, and Arirang have somehow neglected to report. But they'll get right on those Hallyu and foreigner-bashing stories. There's a chart at the link.
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21591211-loneliness-and-poverty-are-killers-poor-spirits?fsrc=rss|asi
| Quote: |
Elderly suicides in South Korea
Poor spirits
Loneliness and poverty are the killers
Dec 7th 2013 | SEOUL | From the print edition
THEIR son-in-law’s visit was a customary show of filial piety for late November. But the homemade kimchi he brought to last his ailing in-laws through the winter would not be needed. “I don’t want to be a burden on my children”, wrote the 82-year-old in a note he left in the sealed house, along with two funeral pictures and a will. Media outlets were quick to note the parallels with the death of an elderly couple in “Late Blossom”, a rare Korean film on growing old that was a box-office hit in 2011.
That year more than 4,000 South Koreans over the age of 65 committed suicide: a rate five times higher than in 1990, and nearly four times the rich-country average (see chart). Yet these “silent suicides” rarely get the attention that teenage ones do, says Ahn Yong-min, a psychiatrist at Seoul National University (SNU) and head of the Korea Association of Suicide Prevention. Young deaths are seen as a cry for help and attract plenty of government funds, though their number is on a par with the OECD average. Attempted suicides among the old are ten times higher. It does not help that self-inflicted harm is not covered by the health-care system.
Many elderly suicides are carefully planned. That should make them easier to prevent than the more impulsive actions of the young, says Kim Yeong-sook of the Korea Suicide Prevention Centre. This year, part of a 2.5 billion won ($2.3m) budget for elderly suicide prevention—the first of its kind—helped train 8,000 caregivers to spot signs. In Seoul a “telecheck” service connects seniors to local volunteers, who call them regularly. Many of the city’s 29 state-run senior welfare centres deliver daily packed meals to their homes. They pick up those wanting to visit the centres but are too frail to travel in alone, such as Kim Dong-wan, a 77-year-old regular, who comes for the gardening, calligraphy sessions (run by seniors too) and laughs. “Nothing like this exists near my hometown”, he says. It is one of the reasons he left the countryside to live with his son.
But few have that luxury. Last year only a fifth of the rural elderly were living with their children. From the 1960s the country’s growing cities lured youngsters. Rather than invest in social welfare, the government “chose to sacrifice the family”, says Eun Ki-soo, a sociologist at SNU. It kept wages low and encouraged investment in education. Parents obliged, assuming that, in the Confucian tradition, they could rely on their children in old age.
Yet today half of South Korea’s elderly are in relative poverty, according to the OECD, which ranks the country’s seniors as the most destitute among its rich-country members. Cramped flats cannot accommodate three-generation households. And attitudes have changed: only a third of South Koreans think that children should support their ageing parents, down from 90% in 1998, according to the national statistics bureau. Yet in 2013 just a third of the old received a state pension, introduced in 1988. A basic old-age pension plan passed last month (set at 200,000 won a month for the poorest 70%) and is payable from the age of 65. Those who can, return to work—often as car-park attendants, street cleaners and security guards.
When illness strikes, some choose to end their own lives, like one of the couples in “Late Blossom”. The ten-session course on “well-dying” at Mapo Senior Welfare Centre in Seoul includes a screening of the film to discuss approaches to death. Participants write a will and their own tombstone epitaph, visit a crematorium and have their funeral picture taken. Yet the firm hope is that they will choose to go a different way. |
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Ah, I had read through that article in the Economist. Not a bad one.
I posted about a 14 page special report from the Economist on Korea here on Daves before but no one seemed interested. That's a shame. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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Problem is even now parents spoiling and indulging their young adult children. Folks who don't work and who hang out in coffee shops all day. Parents need to boot them off their ass by 22 or 23 at the latest and say get out there and support yourself. Not saying there aren't leaches like that in the west, but at least, we on this board, hopped on a plane and left home.
This will allow parents to save for their own retirement. |
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optik404
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Weigookin74 wrote: |
Problem is even now parents spoiling and indulging their young adult children. Folks who don't work and who hang out in coffee shops all day. Parents need to boot them off their ass by 22 or 23 at the latest and say get out there and support yourself. Not saying there aren't leaches like that in the west, but at least, we on this board, hopped on a plane and left home.
This will allow parents to save for their own retirement. |
I think a lot of Koreans would hop on a plane and take a job outside of Korea if the only qualifications were having graduated Uni. |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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Korea is the opposite of the west in this regard. In the western counties most old people are very rich and they get multiple pensions if they worked. Also, in many cases, old people get a pension even if they did not work at all and free or very affordable healthcare. In contrast in the west, young people are heavily taxed, expected to work at 16, get no government daycare and health insurance premiums in states are through the roof for young families.
Older people in Korea that worked and didn't invest it will be a very tough retirement because their savings would have be killed by inflation. The government pension for the old is minuscule compared to the west. But the ones that did invest are rich!
The next generation of Koreans should be pretty well off with the national pension and severance system. |
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optik404
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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| No_hite_pls wrote: |
Korea is the opposite of the west in this regard. In the western counties most old people are very rich and they get multiple pensions if they worked. Also, in many cases, old people get a pension even if they did not work at all and free or very affordable healthcare. In contrast in the west, young people are heavily taxed, expected to work at 16, get no government daycare and health insurance premiums in states are through the roof for young families.
Older people in Korea that worked and didn't invest it will be a very tough retirement because their savings would have be killed by inflation. The government pension for the old is minuscule compared to the west. But the ones that did invest are rich!
The next generation of Koreans should be pretty well off with the national pension and severance system. |
Sorry, but most old people are not very rich in the West. |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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| optik404 wrote: |
| No_hite_pls wrote: |
Korea is the opposite of the west in this regard. In the western counties most old people are very rich and they get multiple pensions if they worked. Also, in many cases, old people get a pension even if they did not work at all and free or very affordable healthcare. In contrast in the west, young people are heavily taxed, expected to work at 16, get no government daycare and health insurance premiums in states are through the roof for young families.
Older people in Korea that worked and didn't invest it will be a very tough retirement because their savings would have be killed by inflation. The government pension for the old is minuscule compared to the west. But the ones that did invest are rich!
The next generation of Koreans should be pretty well off with the national pension and severance system. |
Sorry, but most old people are not very rich in the West. |
you have been misinformed
| Quote: |
| In 2009, households headed by adults ages 65 and older possessed 42% more median net worth (assets minus debt) than households headed by their same-aged counterparts had in 1984. During this same period, the wealth of households headed by younger adults moved in the opposite direction. In 2009, households headed by adults younger than 35 had 68% less wealth than households of their same-aged counterparts had in 1984. |
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/11/07/the-rising-age-gap-in-economic-well-being/
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| The wealth gap between younger and older Americans has stretched to the widest on record, worsened by a prolonged economic downturn that has wiped out job opportunities for young adults and saddled them with housing and college debt. |
| Quote: |
The typical U.S. household headed by a person age 65 or older has a net worth 46 times greater than a household headed by someone under 35, according to an analysis of census data released Monday.
While people typically accumulate assets as they age, this wealth gap is now more than double what it was in 2005 and nearly five times the 10-to-1 disparity a quarter-century ago, after adjusting for inflation. |
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/income/story/2011-11-06/wealth-gap-young-old/51098910/1 |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| No_hite_pls wrote: |
| optik404 wrote: |
| No_hite_pls wrote: |
Korea is the opposite of the west in this regard. In the western counties most old people are very rich and they get multiple pensions if they worked. Also, in many cases, old people get a pension even if they did not work at all and free or very affordable healthcare. In contrast in the west, young people are heavily taxed, expected to work at 16, get no government daycare and health insurance premiums in states are through the roof for young families.
Older people in Korea that worked and didn't invest it will be a very tough retirement because their savings would have be killed by inflation. The government pension for the old is minuscule compared to the west. But the ones that did invest are rich!
The next generation of Koreans should be pretty well off with the national pension and severance system. |
Sorry, but most old people are not very rich in the West. |
you have been misinformed
| Quote: |
| In 2009, households headed by adults ages 65 and older possessed 42% more median net worth (assets minus debt) than households headed by their same-aged counterparts had in 1984. During this same period, the wealth of households headed by younger adults moved in the opposite direction. In 2009, households headed by adults younger than 35 had 68% less wealth than households of their same-aged counterparts had in 1984. |
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/11/07/the-rising-age-gap-in-economic-well-being/
| Quote: |
| The wealth gap between younger and older Americans has stretched to the widest on record, worsened by a prolonged economic downturn that has wiped out job opportunities for young adults and saddled them with housing and college debt. |
| Quote: |
The typical U.S. household headed by a person age 65 or older has a net worth 46 times greater than a household headed by someone under 35, according to an analysis of census data released Monday.
While people typically accumulate assets as they age, this wealth gap is now more than double what it was in 2005 and nearly five times the 10-to-1 disparity a quarter-century ago, after adjusting for inflation. |
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/income/story/2011-11-06/wealth-gap-young-old/51098910/1 |
I would hardly call 200k 'very rich'. And most of the 'assets' looks to be the property they are sitting. Ideally if your 65 you outright own your home by then. Like my parents, sitting in a house they can probably sell tomorrow for $500k, but just living on their seniors' payments.
Maybe they can move to some small town they've never been to, and far far away from where they grew up, and buy a house for 100k. |
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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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| No_hite_pls wrote: |
Korea is the opposite of the west in this regard. In the western counties most old people are very rich and they get multiple pensions if they worked. Also, in many cases, old people get a pension even if they did not work at all and free or very affordable healthcare. In contrast in the west, young people are heavily taxed, expected to work at 16, get no government daycare and health insurance premiums in states are through the roof for young families.
Older people in Korea that worked and didn't invest it will be a very tough retirement because their savings would have be killed by inflation. The government pension for the old is minuscule compared to the west. But the ones that did invest are rich!
The next generation of Koreans should be pretty well off with the national pension and severance system. |
Your generalities and exaggerations are wrong regardless of the link you posted in your post after this one. 'Rich' people are rich. That is, they will retire not comfortably but luxuriously and early on incomes in retirement that are beyond what others could dream of getting near.
'Rich' people know how to shelter their money and use the system to their advantage in a way that even the professional classes (academics, lawyers etc) cannot do for the most part. Governments always hit the middle classes at whatever level and the worst fact of this is that ordinary middle class people are bearing a disproportionate amount of the tax burden relative to their income.
You quote Ameriican data but conveniently miss out the fact that the American middle class is being screwed to support the growing welfarisation of the US. As it is 40 % plus of Americans don't pay any tax and guess who is going to be paying more and more in the future? The middle classes especially the ordinary.
With the current Federal Reserve policies, the middle classes are finding their savings are decreasing in value as are their homes.
In the UK the tax burden again is disproportionately on the middle classes. That includes the middle class people who don't have a wealth base but made the effort to save and go without in order to plan for their retirement. Guess what? The money they so painstakingly put away is rapidly losing value. Pension funds have generally taken a big hit.
Some of these people will need nursing homes later but won't be able to go into them as the fees have jumped exorbitantly over the last decade.
Is your head so stuck in the sand that you also haven't heard about western govts' plans to steal the savings of mostly the middle classes (the rich always have a way around these things) by 'bail ins' and ringfencing pension funds?
I know a lot of Ozzies and these things are already happening over there too. I have a friend who thought he would get his superannuation money at the age of 55. Super as the Ozzies call it - I had to pay it too when I worked there. The employer pays a proportion each paytime and you pay a proportion. My friend has less than 40,000 dollars in his super fund but he found out that the age at which he can collect was raised to 58 over the last few yrs and will keep being raised.
Where is the justice in that? Denying ordinary Ozzies their own money at the age they were promised it when it is not even enough to live on. What my friend has is one yrs' living expenses yet his govt has denied him his own money at the age he was promised it. This is the future for those who saved whether through forced savings as in super or their own money. Greedy, broke western govts who gave away billions in welfare to get elected and to do pork barrelling for their friends etc will get their hands on our money one way or another.
Your blithe assumptions about pensions are wrong too. Australia's sytem is different from my home country of the UK but both are tightening the elibility for govt welfare that was funded mostly by taxes yet many of the recipients didn't pay in. There is a govt pension scheme in Australia where you don't have to have paid a cent in to get a reasonable amount of money per month. Yet Ozzies complain how low the pension is while they get more than Koreans who paid into their pension scheme and Japanese who paid into theirs. It's tax free in Australia.
The lesson here is don't save for retirement and you can get money for free. Don't pay in and you still get the pension. But if you saved your money and tried to do something for yourself while also funding all the people who didn't pay tax, then you are not eligible.
To make it worse for Australians, asylum seekers before the current hardline policy could qualify for residency then citizenship easily and collect a pension paid for by Australians who can't get a cent of their own taxes. Then retire to their own countries, going back for a holiday to Australia to keep the pension coming in their own country. It cannot be stopped now for those who managed to blag their way into residency and citizenship.
The founders of the welfare state in Britain never envisaged that kind of welfare nor did the old Labor party in Australia. It is injustice presented as justice and screws over people who tried to save and didn't expect others to hand over their money for them. Westerners in one way or another are experiencing this kind of dysfunction from their govts. |
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misher
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 4:51 pm Post subject:
Problem is even now parents spoiling and indulging their young adult children. Folks who don't work and who hang out in coffee shops all day. Parents need to boot them off their ass by 22 or 23 at the latest and say get out there and support yourself. Not saying there aren't leaches like that in the west, but at least, we on this board, hopped on a plane and left home.
This will allow parents to save for their own retirement.
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Pretty much this. As said before not ALL Korean families have this problem. I know a few that take care of their grandparents and their grad kids are well grounded enough and close with their parents. They will step up when the time comes.
However the parents letting their kids stay home forever room and board free, then buying their kids apartments should know better. I admire the confucian value system with regards to paying for kids education with the agreement that the kids will step up by the time they are in their 30s 40s to take care of business.
However many korean kids are just leeches. They expect parents to do everything but want no responsibility when parents age. Parents would do well to just kick their kids out if they aren't pulling their weight and making plans for the future to take care of the family. Otherwise don't foot the 70 million Won bill for university and overseas "English". (Party) study. This can happen in the west as well but i would say most are on their own by the time they are 25.
In my opinion this whole problem just shows that confucian values combined with western consumption/materialism can be a nasty combination. |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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| earthquakez wrote: |
| No_hite_pls wrote: |
Korea is the opposite of the west in this regard. In the western counties most old people are very rich and they get multiple pensions if they worked. Also, in many cases, old people get a pension even if they did not work at all and free or very affordable healthcare. In contrast in the west, young people are heavily taxed, expected to work at 16, get no government daycare and health insurance premiums in states are through the roof for young families.
Older people in Korea that worked and didn't invest it will be a very tough retirement because their savings would have be killed by inflation. The government pension for the old is minuscule compared to the west. But the ones that did invest are rich!
The next generation of Koreans should be pretty well off with the national pension and severance system. |
Your blithe assumptions about pensions are wrong too. There is a govt pension scheme in Australia where you don't have to have paid a cent in to get a reasonable amount of money per month. Yet Ozzies complain how low the pension is while they get more than Koreans who paid into their pension scheme and Japanese who paid into theirs. It's tax free in Australia.
The lesson here is don't save for retirement and you can get money for free. Don't pay in and you still get the pension. But if you saved your money and tried to do something for yourself while also funding all the people who didn't pay tax, then you are not eligible.
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How was I even arguing about this, I think maybe you are arguing with a different poster. I was stating facts, not opinions. I see both sides of the argument. I was saying the young working people in the west pay higher taxes so the disabled and elderly can get benefits. It makes it really hard for young working people to save money. THAT MEANS THAT KIND OF AGREE WITH YOU!
| Quote: |
| 40 percent pay no taxes |
Here is the tax breakdown in the US, only 4 percent of non-elderly don't pay social secrity or medicare taxes. That means 96% of non-elderly people in the US pay tax.
| Quote: |
| As was the case before, most of those who don't pay income taxes still pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. And a big chunk of the rest are retirees. |
56.7% Pay Income Tax
43.3% Don't Pay Income Tax
But, of households that pay no income tax, about two-thirds do pay Payroll Taxes
28.9% Pay Payroll taxes
14.4% Don't pay Payroll Taxes
So, who pays neither income nor Payroll Taxes?
9.7% Elderly
3.4% Nonelderly, income under $20,000
1.3% Other
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/29/the-famous-47-percent-are-now-down-to-43-percent/?tid=pm_business_pop |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I would hardly call 200k 'very rich'. And most of the 'assets' looks to be the property they are sitting. Ideally if your 65 you outright own your home by then. Like my parents, sitting in a house they can probably sell tomorrow for $500k, but just living on their seniors' payments. |
By world standards they're very rich.
| Quote: |
| A basic old-age pension plan passed last month (set at 200,000 won a month for the poorest 70%) |
I am sure that your parents get more than 200,000 Krw a month, and guess who has to pay for it, the working youth. |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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| earthquakez wrote: |
Some of these people will need nursing homes later but won't be able to go into them as the fees have jumped exorbitantly over the last decade.
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Nursing homes are modern thing of the last 100 years, in every society on earth, families would take care of their old family before nursing homes. The family should to this day take care of their family IMO. Nursing homes are luxury item IMO and are not needed in most cases. I don't care if their fee is million dollars/one hundred dollars. I will try to never put my folks in one.
When I come back from Korea my grandfather needs care (reason why I'm leaving), and in my hometown nursing homes run a lot of money. Daycare is cheaper. Our family has the money to pay for it but why. Instead, my family will pay my wife and I the daycare fee to take of him instead of giving our families wealth away to someone else. So when I return from Korea with my family we will have income while I'm finishing my master's degree.
Nursing homes in most cases were there is still family around and person is not in the need of 24 medical attention are luxuries. People use them far to often to hide their old family members. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:05 pm Post subject: |
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| No_hite_pls wrote: |
| earthquakez wrote: |
Some of these people will need nursing homes later but won't be able to go into them as the fees have jumped exorbitantly over the last decade.
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Nursing homes are modern thing of the last 100 years, in every society on earth, families would take care of their old family before nursing homes. The family should to this day take care of their family IMO. Nursing homes are luxury item IMO and are not needed in most cases. I don't care if their fee is million dollars/one hundred dollars. I will try to never put my folks in one.
When I come back from Korea my grandfather needs care (reason why I'm leaving), and in my hometown nursing homes run a lot of money. Daycare is cheaper. Our family has the money to pay for it but why. Instead, my family will pay my wife and I the daycare fee to take of him instead of giving our families wealth away to someone else. So when I return from Korea with my family we will have income while I'm finishing my master's degree.
Nursing homes in most cases were there is still family around and person is not in the need of 24 medical attention are luxuries. People use them far to often to hide their old family members. |
If you're getting paid to be a caretaker, whether you are family or not doesn't make it any different than hiring a nurse, which in the U.S. Medicaid will pay for.
You're way off base about people "hiding" the elderly in nursing homes. As you said, they're quite expensive so for the GREAT majority of cases they are utilized only when there's no alternative.
You are obviously uninformed on this issue and should stop posting on it until you know something about it. |
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