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<title> Our Elderly Deserve Qualified Care </title>
The "elderly" I will be referring to in this essay, are old people that are no longer able to look after themselves. They can no longer live by themselves and the question is, whether the state or the family should look after them. 
	 Since I have been working with elderly at a nursing home for four years, I have some personal experience of the accommodation, treatment and care that they need. 
	 In this essay I have chosen to argue against families looking after the elderly. My argumentation is based on three main arguments.
	 The first argument has to do with safety. How many families today can honestly say, that they can provide proper accommodations for an elderly parent for an unlimited time-period? It has not only to do with having the space needed, but also that the house or apartment should be adequately equipped to accommodate an elderly citizen that is unable to take care of himself. 
	 A nursing home, on the other hand, is functional and suitable for appropriate care and treatment. The beds have protection on the sides to prevent accidents, there are lifts in the ceiling to make sure a disabled person will get to his chair safely and the bathrooms are equipped to make regular baths possible. It may sound inhuman to use these kind of facilities, but a lot of elderly people staying at home are confined to their beds all day and wont get a proper shower more than a few times a year. That is even more inhuman. 
	 My second argument has to do with medical service. In a private home, someone has to take responsibility for the medication and also make sure that the person is looked after during the day. There will also be a need for some sort of alarm-system in case of an emergency during times when he or she is left alone. Today, most families need two incomes to support a family. Having an elderly relative living in the family would put a further strain on the economy, since one person would have to stay at home or work part-time. 
	 At a nursing home, the elderly have a close contact with doctors and nurses all around the clock. There are also nursing assistants, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. They will be able to meet the different needs an elderly person might have.
	 My third argument has to do with social contact. It is important for everyone to have friends and acquaintances. One of the biggest fears of getting old is loneliness. For the first time in our lives we have all the time we need but no one to share it with. The children are in the middle of life, bringing up their children, working on their careers and they don't have time for daily visits. Elderly people, who can not as easily visit their friends, are at a risk of being isolated and lonely.
	 At a nursing home, they are surrounded by people and have lots of opportunities to make new friends. They meet other elderly as well as the staff. There are a lot of activities; like occupational therapy, newspaper-readings, entertainment and church-services, that they can attend. 
	 We should not fool ourselves to believe that the stressed-out people of the nineties have the time, money, competence or even the will to take on the responsibility of taking care of the elderly people. I'm also sure that the elderly would not want to be in a situation where they are totally dependent on their children. They don't want to feel that they are a burden to their lives. They need their privacy, even when they are getting older and in need of assistance.
	 Today there are a variety of service buildings, nursing homes and old peoples homes located where people live, so that anyone who wants to can stay living in their own area. 
	 When families are relieved from the responsibility of the everyday care of the elderly, they can put their energy and efforts on visiting them on a regular basis. They can bring them home for visits and take an active part in their lives, but they should leave the daily physical and medical care to the professionals, without feeling guilty about it.
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