I really do have concerns about this, but I can't help feeling that people have a certain responsibility to provide for their own futures, e.g. a small house and private pension, if they have the means. My own parents are elderly but I have no worries that they will ever be left destitute. Sadly, this is not within the compass of everyone, but imo if one has property etc it is never a good idea to sell up and remove oneself from the help of the extended family. I've seen elderly expats really struggling many a time.
the point is that the millions of us who live from check to check do NOT 'have the means' or 'help of the extended family'... if we did, obviously this crisis wouldn't be a problem for us... but having no means and no family willing or able to help, leaves us staring at a black hole that threatens not only the quality of life, but life itself for most... sadly, americans in general and the american culture/government do not have the same respect and caring attitude toward parents/grandparents that many other peoples/countries do... in the us, the old and infirm are dispensable... in effect bothersome throwaways, once their usefulness to the young has passed... even those who are still supposedly 'loved' by their offspring are most often seen as a drain on their own family's welfare, once they're too old to provide for themselves, so are not considered their responsibility, despite those old folks having made sacrifices to raise them...
^ Maia, you are right too ofton the elderly are overlooked, disregarded etc, even by their own families. Tell you what, If your check does not come through you can come live with me I'm grummpy, and hubby and I fight about everything under the sun but your welcom to it. we have a 1 bed 1 bath apartment, but I have a decent sized living room and a queen sized air matress... Hope you like vegitarian food....
you're a sweetheart, bl!... thanks for the kind offer [i'm a vegetarian, too], but i'm way down here in puerto rico, so your LR is safe from elder-invasion... ;-) love and lotsa hugs, m
LOL invasion it would not be, and I'm in VA, not more that a short flight from ya however I would hate to have hubby ruin a good meal with his incessant prattling. That man can TALK, I don't mean just talk (conversation) I mean talk for hours about nothing at all lol. God I do love him though.
