Elder Care in Modern Times

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi
Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, elder day care, in-home attendants -- commonly these words have a negative connotation with them.  However, as author Hendrick Hartog points out, they are a lot better than historical options.  Caring for elder loved ones primarily fell on children in historical times.  And if that sounds quaint, you may be looking through rose colored glasses.  Recently the New York Times ran an article by Hartog, Bargaining for a Child's Love, which sheds a new light on how the elderly were cared for in times past.

Take a look, and then share your thoughts.  Skilled nursing care, is it a good thing, a bad thing, or a bit of both?

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