A Sorry Reflection on Society

"A huge American firm that provides home-care services to the elderly is set to expand in Australia, raising perplexing questions about the limits of outsourcing. It turns out the firm, Home Instead Senior Care, is especially called on in the 10 countries where it is established to provide paid companions to lonely old people.

Beyond the usual home-care tasks of cooking, cleaning and laundry, the biggest need is for carers who will play Scrabble with the elderly person, take them to the races, walk in the park with them, and talk about old times."

So writes Adele Horin in her latest op-ed piece in the SMH [here].

Used to just about everything being outsourced in one way or another, it now seems we are destined to have the care of elderly family-members part of the outsourcing "package". Leaving aside the psychological effects of all of this...

"but what is the message when a son or daughter sends a proxy carer? Will the recipient be sad that her child did not care enough to come, or happy that her child, stretched between a demanding job and demanding teenage children, cared enough to spend her hard-earned money on a paid companion?"

what a sorry reflection on society that making money and other priorities takes precedence over filial respect and obligations.

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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