Band 6+: In Britain, when someone gets old they often go to live in a home with other old people where there are nurses to look after them. Sometimes the government has to pay for this care. Who do you think should pay for this care, the government or the family? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

In Britain, the elderly are looked after by caregivers in old people’s homes, which at times

is paid for by the state. I believe that the state should pay for this type of assistance

because of the contribution that old people have made to their society and because most

families could not cope with the financial burden.

When a person gets to the age where they need help looking after themselves, the government should pay for this because that person has given the government tax all their life. If a person only makes minimum wage and pays tax every month for thirty years, this adds up to a large sum of money, which is more than enough to cover the cost of taking care of that person when they are old and infirm. In the UK, for example, everyone has to pay National Insurance and income tax, and part of this should go towards helping the elderly when they are old and need nursing care.

If the government does not pay, then the bill is left with the family, and most people simply cannot afford this on top of their normal expenses. Nursing homes require specialist care and twenty-four-hour attention, which is very expensive for the average person, especially if they have more than one elderly relative to pay for. For instance, the average nursing home bill in the United Kingdom is one third of the average wage.

To conclude, I think that older people or their families should not have to worry about

expensive nursing bills after they retire because the contributions they have made when

they are working should cover this expense, and their families would not be able to afford

the bills without assistance.