In your opinion, what is elderly care?

I think elderly care has to be more than meeting the physical needs of the oldies. There has to be something more.

To me, it meant ME taking care of my folks until the moment they died! You are right, there is something more, like dignity, freedom and a sense of some control over our lives!

My parents died with all, in tact! why? Because I chose to do the care instead of placing my precious parents into the care of strangers! I know that others cannot do what I did but, I could not do anything but, what I did!

elders living w/ their grown up kids and w/ assitant care if necessary... common in asian and european cultures...

There are very few care homes in Spain, that is because the younger generation look after their elderly parents and accept this as the norm. The "oldies" have a loving family environment and they go out as a family unit. It is really good to see and its a pity other countries don't have this attitude towards their elderly parents.

I totally agree. My grandma broke her knee and end up in a home .She went from bad to worst shape. In fact she ended up w/ UTI and on a ton of meds.Everyone came to see said she looked like death. I yelled at my dad and uncle to get her out and send her to me . That was over a year ago. She back and feeling good. I work her so hard . Doctors appointments,and pushing her to want to live. It took a lot of my time and love.
I believe that home was killing her slowly . B/c she had insurance and money . She believed it too. She's 89 . Pays all her bills by herself.

I'd guess it's the same as assisted living, where you are as independent as possible, but a housekeeping staff takes care of changing linens and you do not have kitchen facilities except a microwave and sink and cupboard.

Where my mom stayed, they had meals served in a lunchroom, much as in a boarding house. The place had a community room with piano, organ and TV. It also had a gymnasium with workout equipment, a laundry area and a full-size kitchen area where anyone who wanted to bake or cook up something special could do so in the open where everyone would notice if anything dangerous were taking place.

Visitors had to sign in and out.

If you're not talking about assisted living, then the next level would be full nursing home care, where residents are supervised at all times.

The elderly need things to stimulate their minds and keep
them interested in life and just plain living. They need exposure to nature, and fauna. And that's why many homes
admit personal pets to visit in a visitation lobby. Some are
taken in a van from the home for day trips out to see a change
of scenery also, or to hear outside free concerts in local
parks, or inside auditoriums, that are able to be mobile.
Most of the senior retirement homes, have craft sessions
and exercise sessions planned, and even music sing alongs.
Anything that the director can think of to enhance their lives
so that they aren't complete shut ins.
There is a tendency by some places to over drug their
elderly patients. And that is an important thing to check on
if you have a relative. I saw this with my late grandma and
everyone else did who visited her. And we had to take her
out of there to be assured that wouldn't happen again. And
once she was home, she came out of the stupor and got
back to herself in days. It was a very fancy assisted living
center. But apparently the staff felt that doping them up, they
were less of a problem. And couldn't complain. So I believe
it's important to follow up on total care of a loved one. And
visit them often during the week, never arriving on the same
days or time. Catch them off guard if you can.

Are you asking about professional elder care? If so, I think it would include meeting the needs of the elders, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It would include home health care aides if needed, and if professional care was needed placement in an assisted-living facility, or perhaps a skilled nursing facility.

Different cultures have different ways of providing elder care. Some keep the elder in the home and keep 24 hour care. This is ideal, but not possible in many homes and with many families. In the U.S. extended family is not the norm, so other options are available if needed. As a society, the U.S. has strayed from the concept of extended family, and of community living.

There is much, much more to elder care than just caring for the physical needs. I did caregiving for both my parents, they both died in my arms, safe and secure, and with the knowledge that they were loved. This was just as important to me as it was to them, and we all knew it. I also cared for my Aunt and Uncle until they expired.

Quality of life is very important. It is the daily exercise of the things we like to do. The socialization activities, as well as, the individual activities. I'll give you examples: there are some wheelchair bound Seniors that love to travel. They take cruises, airline flights, visit historic places and Disney World. This is an exercise in world citizenship and activity. They take a caregiver or two with them and just have a ball. There are others that are regular attendees at Senior Centers where they do a world of different activities from bingo to gaming turnarounds and potluck suppers. Activity is important to the feeling of belonging and well-being.

Family is another aspect of caregiving. The Senior needs constant family contact not only for the physical needs, but also for the closeness that it brings. This is another way that the Senior's well-being is reinforced. No one wants to feel forgotten. This is the sad plight of many of those who are confined to Skilled Nursing Facilities. Visit them, reinforce their feeling of being loved and cared for. If you don't know someone who is in an SNF, visit one and make a friend.

The spirituality aspect of life is one that is more closely associated with the aging factor than most would believe. By the time we reach what is termed old age, we're closer to knowing what the meaning of our lives is. The search for this meaning is spirituality because it is, for a great many of our Seniors, the time when we become much closer to what we perceive as our Creator, whatever His name may be. It's important to be closer to the Creator as we prepare for the life hereafter. It's calming and reassuring.

Oh yes, there is much, much more. But remember this very basic fact, just because a person is old now, does not mean that they have forgotten what it was like to be young, they have stories that will make you laugh so hard, and this is good for both you and the Senior. Get this person to tell you some of them, there is great joy for both of you.

These are just a few of the "something more" to this life you asked about and I could go on writing and writing and writing, but these are some of the important ones.

You will be there one day yourself, start preparing now. Remember the good times you're having now, they will do you in good stead in your older years, they will make you laugh, and that's good for you.

Elder care is up for grabs to the highest bidder. It is a business where the least skilled can be hired at minimum wage or for room and board. As long as it is up for grabs it will remain the atrocity it is today. If the government gives you bucks to run a home you still must have a heck of a lot of integrity to run one properly. Otherwise, it is like what we have right now which is a warehouse type of elder care.