You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
A visible change of any living organism is getting older. Child, youth, adult and elder are some of the stages in our life. Child and elderly stages are dependent stages compared to other two stages. For both of these situations, a human being needs other’s support.
While we were children, our parents were there for our supportive role. When the parents became older, definitely their children need to be the supportive role for their parents. This is the role we carry among human beings vice versa. If the parents live with their children only parents will feel safer, attached to family and sharing of love. Unfortunately, many of them attending to works, they do not have time to look after their children neither their parents. In this case, elders could be sending to some a common place where other elders are staying. But payment cannot be made by the government.
Since it is the responsibility of their family, definitely family needs to pay for caring of their parents. They may not have enough time to take care of their parents. Since the government has employed special people for that, at least those elders’ parents need to be paid by their family.
For an example, many of the parents were private sector employees and they did not have a monthly pension scheme. But they have only Employee provident fund and employee trust funds. It has been used by the children of the parents in plantation sector of Sri Lanka. Finally, children will neither look after their parents nor elderly parents do not have own money in hand. That is, all advantages utilised from elders. When they become a stage of the dependent, families are trying to escape from their responsibilities. This is a kind of selfish. Paid by the government should be stopped and families should be paid for them.
Especially the children are responsible for looking after the parents; they should definitely pay for the parents and not the government.
( Written by – Niro)
Sample Answer 2:
At present, most of the elderly population are left under the care of home-cares due to the fact that the younger family members are too busy with their work and could not provide sufficient care and attention for the later. In addition, some of the family members even fail to provide financial support. Hence, the government has left no choice but to pay for their care. Some people believe financial responsibility should be given to the family, however, I strongly believe that the government should take greater responsibility. This argument is supported by stating some of the reasons why I agree.
First and foremost, there are variations in each family’s financial capabilities. Some can provide sufficient support for the elderly, while some fail to do so. This instability is risky, therefore the government, which has the sufficient resources could somehow assist them instead. For instance, a family member may have no job when an elderly needs hospitalisation. In this case, giving the responsibility to the government will be an advantage.
Moreover, a majority of the elderly had been productive during their earlier life. Some of them have paid insurances, government fees and taxes. These contributions had been helpful in establishing the government. Hence, in return, the government should help them, now that they already are debilitated. For example, as an intake coordinator for insurances, I am aware that in the United States, productive citizens, who work in a company are paying monthly contributions for their Medicare insurances. When the time comes that these citizens became old and sick, the government is mandated to support their needs.
In summary, financial support for elderly citizens should be a responsibility for both the family and the government. However, because the government is more stable they should take greater responsibility.
( Written by – Arlyn Crescini )
Sample Answer 3:
The concept of old homes is very prevalent in modern societies. However, this trend has dramatically increased in some developing and developed countries over the last few years. Senior citizens prefer to live in those homes because of better interaction and care facilities. Some people argue that state is responsible for looking after their people and should spend money on their care. Others claim that expenses should be bear by family in response to hard work and effort for providing health, education and other amenities of life to their family members. I believe that it is a mutual duty of family and government to support them financially.
Family plays a substantial role in providing comfort to their elders, therefore effort of senior citizens should be acknowledged as they have spent all their for the upbringing and taking care of children health, education and other necessities of life. During the old age of their parent, it is a primary obligation of the family members not to deprive them of their basics financial needs.
On the other hand, senior citizens had served their entire life while serving in both public and private sector for the betterment of the country. They have deposited chucks of money in government funds in term of taxes throughout their services, this makes them eligible for the help of the government in the time of need.
To sum up, I would like to say that government should take necessary measures for making comfort and ease in senior people lives. Their health-related issues should be urgently solved while not taking even a single penny from them. Moreover, the family is also responsible of their elders need and must put their maximum efforts to make them happy during their last days.
( Written by – Fahad Sultan )
Sample Answer 4:
One of the most challenging and controversial questions of today’s society is that who should be responsible for old people’s care and expenses: either it should be the government or the family members. In my opinion, it should be a mutual responsibility of both the government and the family.
To start with, parents plays the most important and strong part in a child’s life. They give them values, manners, love and care. They provide them support morally as well as financially. They try their best to give their child the ideal life they could imagine.
So, when these parents get old and need help and support in almost every manner, then children should not run from their duties. They should take care of their parents as good as their parents did when they were young.
On the other hand, all the families don’t have the same structures. Some might have problems such as financial or accommodation. Then at this point, I believe that the government should come forward and take steps to make senior citizen’s lives better. The people who are now old have paid the tax in their whole life and that’s why the government should take their financial responsibilities as well. Old citizens should have equal rights on government funds as they have served and paid taxes which help the government to run the state. I strongly claim that government should have a fixed fund or deposit for individuals and as well as for old homes.
In addition, I like the idea of the security deposit as for example, an old person can live with his family without being a burden on them. Finally, in my opinion, both the government and the family should possible responsibility to make senior citizens happy and give them a comfortable life.
( Written by – Mansoor Afzal)