Paper Example on Elderly Caregiving

Scientific Background

Aging is both inevitable and universal. Human beings change in many ways as they undergo the process of growth and development. These changes occur in various aspects that include biologically, psychologically as well as physiologically. Data from the US Census Bureau provides illustrate that there were more than 39 million Americans of 65 years of age and above (Lee and Andrew 51). This figure implies a dramatic increase of 3 million people from 1900. In this way, therefore, there has been the need to provide caregiving services to the ever-growing number of the elderly group. From the biological perspective, aging occurs as a result of deterioration of the physiological functions that are necessary for the survival as well as fertility. Notably, the characteristics of aging, excluding the effects of diseases of aging, affect all individuals within a given species. Majority of the evolutionary biologists would deny the fact that aging is the part of the genetic repertoire of an animal. Contrary, they would rather argue that aging is condition or status that occur to members of a given species after they have acquired or fulfilled given requirements of the natural selection. However, aging comes as a result of the inability of the body cells and systems to perform a function and which is caused over an extended period.

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It is because of this biological reason why families have the obligations to care for their elderly ones. The caregiving roles, in this case, take numerous dimensions. Left alone, the elderly are unable to perform their tasks and achieve their daily requirements. For instance, aged people may be unable to go shopping and buy groceries, prepare meals, clean house and perform laundry. Also, they may be unable to dress, bath, or administer medication among many other tasks. In this sense, therefore, the decision for the family to provide caregiving services to their old parents is ethical and has a strong moral obligation based on the fact that the deterioration of the physiological functions that are necessary for the survival as well as fertility prevents the elderly form fulfilling their daily needs or tasks.

Historical Background of Caregiving

Historically, the elderly care has been the responsibility of the members of the family. Notably, this care was provided within the extended family home (Briggs 53). The reason for the provision of such care was based on the idea that the older adults were unable to perform various tasks such as bathing, going to shop or even cooking. As such, many societies across the world increasingly linked the family members to the responsibilities that entailed the provision of the caregiving services to the elderly. In the modern society, however, the elderly care is now being offered by the state departments as well as the charitable organizations. The reason for this shift in the response has been because of the decreasing family sizes, the increased life expectancy of the elderly individuals as well the expanded geographical families' dispersion. The propensity of the women to receive their education and prefer to work outside the home has been associated with such move. While it is evident that these changes have tremendously affected the North American and the European nations, recent studies show that the same magnitude of impacts has been observed to effects the Asian families in their countries as well.

The current initiatives of care are tailored towards the promotion of independence in the self-care with the aim of providing older adults with the capability to maintain the independence longer. In fact, it can give them the opportunity to achieve great things when left to perform the task unaided.

Arguments Supporting One Course of Action

Elderly caregiving is a common practice throughout the world. Most people in the American society believe that the family should live in such a manner that its members learn to care and take responsibility for everyone, including the young, old, sick, the poor as well as the disabled. To think about ethics in this line implies thinking about the kind of right actions we do as well as the kind of people we are supposed to be. According to (Lee and Andrew (57), individuals need to ponder the shape of a good life regarding the conditions that entail flourishing or declining quality of life. In his view, Briggs (34), mentioned that we learn to care about elderly based on the fact that they or others have cared us as part of their families. In this sense, therefore, the parental sacrifice is shaped towards the development and the increasing of the child, a goal, which brings meaning and the accomplishment of the nurturing parents. In this sense, therefore, the act of elderly caregiving is valued in the United States. Children and young adults believe that they have obligations to support their old parents. While this is so, the family caregiving in the United States is less practiced as there is a shift in the responsibility. The growing population of the old people, geographical dispersion of the family members, women's preference to away from home, and the decreased family sizes propelled the state agencies and charitable organizations to perform and provide the caregiving responsibilities. As of 2009, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services mentioned that there more than 36,000 assisted living facilities that served more than 1 million seniors across the country. Majority of the elders gradually lose functioning and require additional aid in their homes. Given the opportunity, most American seniors would prefer to continue to reside in their homes.

Caregiving within the Indian context is conducted from the religious perspective. The family is paramount in Indian daily life. Notably, the children are socialized into the collectivist values of cooperating with each other, duty, nurturing, obedience as well as the reliability. From the ethical point of view, Indians know and believe that children have roles to be supportive of their parents (Dhar 245). The Hindu family is generally operated at four distinct levels, which include the household, the groupings of the households that constitute a property-group, and all the dispersed groups that define a genealogy regarding the active interaction (Dhar 243). According to Dhar, the predominant reasons for caregiving involved gratification, satisfaction, family responsibility as well as reciprocity. In another study, the researchers argued that the ethicality of caregiving among the Indians focused on the positive gains or aspects of the caregiving. In this way, therefore, the majority of the people renewed their closeness when children reach adulthood and transition to parenthood.

Arguments Supporting a Different Course of Action

While it is evident that some researchers, both within the American and Indian contexts argue that we have a moral obligation to take care of the elderly parents and people, others tremendously refute that fact. According to Heller, Hailee, and Dora (331-332), there is an ethical obligation in taking care of parents, but there is no obligation to give up life for them. This means that there is no problem in helping them, but people should not disorient their life programs or dedicate their lives exceedingly to help their parents.

The same arguments are reported to be Noon et al. who argues that ethically, children have the moral obligation to take care of their parents (Cited in Dhar 243). From the perspective of Manusmriti, father and mother should not be treated with contempt because he is the physical form of the lord of creatures, while the mother is the physical form of earth. This means that children must obey them and should not assume any other duty, including refusing to take care of them without their permission. However, this obligation should not be used in a manner that prevents the children from achieving their life goals at the expense of those of their parents. Obligations to care for the parents or not will depend on the past relationship among the members of the family. In reality, this argument seems strong and induces various ethical reasoning about how the relationship of family members, say brothers and sisters and children and their mother can promote understanding and ultimately caregiving.

Ethical Stand Statements

Various ethical stands argument are presented in the discussion. These include:

The family should live in such a manner that its members learn to care and take the responsibility for everyone, including the young, old, sick, the poor as well as the handicapped

We learn to care about elderly based on the fact that they or others have cared us as part of their families

Children have roles to be supportive to their parents

There is ethical obligation in taking care of parents but there is no obligation to give up life for them.

Argues that the obligations to care for the parents or not will depend on the past relationship among the members of the family

My Arguments

In my opinion, adult parents or children are ethically obliged to take care of their parents. This is because of the inability that gets them as a result of aging, and which leads to the deterioration of the physiological functions that are necessary for the survival as well as fertility. Family caregiving to the elderly, in my opinion is a matter of showing love, care and responsibility to our parents for the efforts they applied and support they gave us to achieve our prosperity. It is an act of giving back and appreciating. In this sense, I feel that we are morally obliged to take care of our parents when they become old.

Works Cited

Briggs, Rick. Caregiving daughters: Accepting the role of caregiver for elderly parents. Routledge, 2014.

Dhar, Rajib Lochan. "Caregiving for elderly parents: A study from the Indian perspective." Home Health Care Management & Practice 24.5 (2012): 242-254.

Heller, Tamar, Hailee M. Gibbons, and Dora Fisher. "Caregiving and family support interventions: Crossing networks of aging and developmental disabilities." Intellectual and developmental disabilities 53.5 (2015): 329-345.

Lee, Ronald, and Andrew Mason. Population Aging and the Generational Economy: A Global Perspective. , 2011. Internet resource.

Qualls, Sara Honn. "Caregiving families within the long-term services and support system for older adults." American Psychologist 71.4 (2016): 283.