In Britain, when someone gets old they often go to live in a home with other old people where there are nurses to look after them. Sometimes the government has to pay for this care. Who do you think should pay for this care, the government or the family?

The world around us has a growing population, Britain is no exception to this fact. With the average age of population inclining towards the higher end of the age band, the government is tasked more than ever to take care of rehabilitating its seniors. Through this essay, I will attempt to picturize my thoughts on the matter, whether such care should be funded by the government or should it rather fall back as a responsibility of the family members. We must consider few facts before we expect the government to bear the complete cost of such rehabilitation. As one would know, the administration is already dealing with a declining per capita over the last couple of years from its younger population. In such circumstances, increasing spending on senior care might plummet the national fund figures further. The is also the problem of assuring quality medical and nursing facilities, which currently faces an acute local skill shortage, meaning more spending on getting skilled workforce from overseas. Individuals sheltered at old homes not only require medical and nursing care but recreational/well-being activities too, contributing to another cost head. Hence, government taking complete ownership of such duties might not be the most lucrative idea in the long term. On the other end of the spectrum, we also must touch base upon the reality, that is why most people decide to move into an old home in the first place. Increasing financial burden on the family, mainly due to the shrinking disposable income, forces some seniors to voluntarily retire in old homes. In such event putting the financial weight back on the families, to sponsor medical and well-being expenses of their elderly, will increase the strain even further. Hence, as a concluding thought having a system in place where this responsibility is parted in a 3: 1 ration between the government and family, could be great benefit to both the parties. The government would have some breathing space in its national expenditure planning and the families can continue to care for their elderly with less worries of financial constraints. Striking a critical balance will not only promote better financial spending decision but also make the older generation feel less burdensome.