As people are living longer than they used to and as families are becoming smaller, there are more demands placed on families when it comes to care for the elderly. With the help of home care services, many elderly people can stay fit and healthy in their own homes for a long time, but there comes a point where they cannot look after themselves and this is where the tough decisions come into play.
A few decades ago, many elderly people who were no longer able to look after themselves were integrated into the family unit and looked after by one of their sons or daughters. This still happens in many countries such as the Middle East, but it is less common now in the UK for several reasons.
It is a fact of life now that most women have to work as well as looking after the home, for economical or other reasons, and it is therefore not practical for an elderly parent to live in the house as they are not there all the time to look after them.
Many people therefore have to make the tough decision to move their parent into sheltered housing or elderly people's home and this does bring about a great deal of guilt.
Some elderly people do integrate very well into homes though, as they are with people their own age and do not suffer from loneliness.
