The proportion of the elderly has been increasing throughout the world, which has caused the exuberance of kinds of nursing homes. In my opinion, despite some merits, many present nursing homes have an issue that cannot be ignored.
Care homes are the natural consequence of an ageing society, and they significantly relieve the nursing stress of the young. As a result of persistent low fertility, it has been increasingly common that two adults have to take care of four elders and a child simultaneously. This is especially typical in China, where, according to a demographic survey, about 40% of families exist in this structure and overwhelming nursing pressure forces them to appeal to care homes. In this respect, the emergence of nursing homes is helpful in sharing with the young the stress of caring for the elderly.
However, closely along with the advantages is an appealing issue of some nursing homes. It is the issue of abusing the elderly. Many of the elderly are sent to nursing homes mainly because of their inability to fend for themselves, which makes them extremely vulnerable to caregivers’ deliberate harm. To illustrate, in 2017, there was sensational news that a caregiver serving for California State Hospital had a long time verbally abused the elderly living there and sometimes even pricked them with syringe needles. The outrageous news reminds us that current nursing homes may still have some serious disadvantages.
In conclusion, the ageing trend has stimulated the rapid development of care homes. They to a certain extent relieve the stress of the young, but also provide a greenhouse for intolerable behaviours, such as deliberately harming the elderly. Therefore, governments must enact pertinent laws to effectively regulate the operation of nursing homes