RE: Opinion Series Part 1: Are Children Responsible for Their Aging Parents?

Agree with you completely. Children should feel obligated to help their parents when they are in need, which includes helping them when they grow old and need help and support in whatever they need: care, financials and whatnot. In a perfect world, everybody takes care of their own finances, but we are not in such a perfect world.

In my country, we have (seemingly) solid systems set up since the 60s of last century to support elderly pensioned people with a state pension, with (almost) free healthcare (when pensioned people have low income, the state pays the healthcare insurance). But still we see elderly people needing support, financially, care and such. The state pension isn't always enough. Elderly homes become too expensive. Not all hospital bills are part of insurance. In my country, we have experienced a huge shift over the last 60 years, from a few elderly people and a whole bunch of young people to a huge number of elderly people and a much lower amount of younger people (paying the taxes needed for the state pension and free healthcare to the elderly). A system that isn't sustainable anymore due to demographic changes. A perfect system back in the days, became a system that is constantly under attack because the system became too expensive.

End result, children can't be selfish anymore, thinking their parents are taken care of and don't need (our) help. We shall take up our responsibilities and help our parents when they are in need. And as you mentioned, our parents done so much for us. When they need help, it is more or less obvious we children provide that for them, in whatever way we can.