The trouble with the word “care” is that it can mean so many different things, especially when it’s care of the elderly about which there is so much nail-biting going on. At one extreme, “care” can mean highly skilled medical attention done by the seriously qualified; at the other end the kindly chore done even by large numbers of schoolchildren, who are sometimes the sole carer. And when it comes to care of the elderly it’s not always clear whether you’re talking about medical care – nursing or physiotherapy or memory training – or just keeping the old dears halfway contented by spending time with them, playing games, taking them out, giving them a reason to get up in the morning.
And either way, if there’s no available family member there’s the question of who is to pay for it – to which I think I have an answer that might help the young as well. Why not let ex-students who are struggling to pay off their academic loans provide some national service instead? National Service doesn’t have to be just soldiering and didn’t even when it was compulsory, and if it liberated ex-students from the heavy debt of their education it would help them, too.
Young folk starting out traditionally wait tables or tend bars. It might be more generally useful if they helped older people who needed it. Who knows, they might even learn quite a lot from the old folk, too.
What do you think? Have your say below
