These days, people are living into their 90’s and beyond. As a result, there is increasing concern about care for the elderly. Do you think it is the responsibility of the family to care for their elderly members or should the government be held?

Currently, society is under great pressure to take care of the elderly. From my point of view, this duty belongs to both the family who is directly related to the old, and the government controlling the age density. Grandparents have always been the staple of any family. They are the ones who sacrifice their personal lives to ensure that other members, especially young children, can be healthy and happy. Therefore, their efforts must be appreciated, which can be easily done by activities that show gratitude. For example, during Chinese New Year, a festival celebrated by numerous Asian countries, people rush to their hometown to visit and gift their grandparents to express their gratefulness. In other words, relatives are primarily responsible for standing by with the elderly until their inevitable death. Meanwhile, authorities play a key role in managing the old population. Despite being less useful for labor, this age range is crucial to avoid the overcrowded youth, thus maintaining the social balance. Thankfully, with the development of technology, treating old-age individuals in a large scale is achievable as long as governments are ready for this commitment. For example, in developed nations, there are a plethora of healthcare centers containing high-quality equipment to increase members’ life expectancy. Despite this, if this method goes too far, it might cause aging population, which is economically counterproductive in the long run. To conclude, since the old generation is an essential social class, protecting them is the same mission of both families and authorities. However, it is also important to bear in mind that the overall population must be balanced; as such, we should only care the elder to a certain extent.