It is a widespread problem for carers to not have enough time to look after the elderly. Although this has been noticed for a while, it is yet to be solved. In the past decades, life expectancy has been rising rapidly, doubling from 40 years right after World War II to just under 80 years in 2020. As a result, the number of people aged over 65 increased exponentially. Despite the significant growth in the percentage of the elders in the population, hardly did the number of healthcare workers increase. Since the supply of carers is unable to catch up with the demand, the carers have no choice but to contribute less time for each of the elderly on average.
Old people without supervision can be hazardous, due to them being more prone to accidents. When accidents do happen, the old-aged may suffer from severe injuries, causing irreversible damage to their already weak bodies, or, in the worst scenario, fatal damage. Besides, as memory tends to deteriorate with increased age, elderly with chronic diseases may forget to take their pills and supplements, negatively affecting their health. Furthermore, they may feel lonely if their significant other has passed away. Not having a close person (e.g. a carer) to chat with increases the chance of them suffering from depression caused by alienation. All of these problems may lead to unpredictable outcomes, making it more dangerous for the elderly.
It is understandably a complicated social issue; fortunately, it is not completely impossible to tackle. Over the years, various solutions have been suggested. The main goal is to raise the number of carers, as reducing the number of seniors is obviously impractical. The most straightforward way is to make being a carer for the elderly more appealing, for example, by improving the hourly wages. Another method is to better illustrate the image of a carer. Quite a number of people have bad impressions of taking care of old people, such as it being a dull job and having to clean up nauseous messes, instead of the actual work of talking to the elderly and helping with their daily routines. Last but not least, the government could roll out a programme for the old-aged to look after each other, therefore decreasing the need for carers.