available Alternatives for families and dependent care as influenced by globalization

Every year, there has been a growth in global population. Some locations have reached their maximum capacity for population density, and the majority of people are looking for new sources of income in various industries. The number of live births has sharply increased in the wake of improvements in healthcare services. The working population has a duty to ensure that the offspring are able to meet their demands, and the offspring must be taken care of. On the other hand, aging is unavoidable and there are a lot of people who are elderly (Bengtsson 2010). Most old people do not work and therefore depend on the working population to feed help them cater for their needs. The number of old people in the society particularly in the US has been on the rise making it harder for the working population to be able to meet their needs.

The current economic demand has made most people seek for better-paying jobs. These jobs are sometimes found far away from home making it difficult for them to commute from home. The result is that they move into the new places or seek a new life close to the workplace, and this leaves the old people without anyone to care for them. The case is different with children as they are more flexible than the working people will prefer moving with their kids to the new place. This keeps the children under care after work in most cases a house help will care for the children during the working hours.

The emergence of this problem has resulted in many people to develop strategies that will serve as an alternative to solve the problem. Many proposed strategies work for different people depending on their preferences. In some situations, the aged are forced to venture into alternative means of livelihood to earn a living. Others are seeking less involving economic activities, and other has been moved to care centres. There is, however, a psychological problem that arises following this method and has an effect on the old people.

The rise of the high dependence ratio is brought about by some developmental factors such as government policy, economic and population growth, calamities that lead to the death of children and other natural factors (United States. Administration for Children and Research 2016:114). There is need therefore to find out the alternatives that are available to the age and evaluate the alternatives to know the most appropriate method that will ensure that the people meet their needs.

Summary of research

Much has been done regarding this topic by scholars worldwide. In a research conducted by Lloyd (2012) on the different types of care given to particular groups of people in Asia and North America. The author identifies culture as a major factor influencing the decisions made by the families of the type of care to grant their elderly. According to the report, cultural factors will affect the choice of care, and the person hires to provide this care. For instance, there are some cultures which believe that attention should be given by people who understand their traditions and are committed to maintaining them. this is more particular to children who need to be raised according to the culture of the citizens.

Among the elderly, the rate of unemployment is high, and some of them have gone on retirement, and therefore they depend on the retirement benefits. This makes them vulnerable and sometimes not able to meet their needs. The governments of both Asia and North America have identified this gap, and they are all working towards a solution. The approach to the problem, however, is different between the two countries with Asia offering few alternatives to family care. In Asia, there is the allowance of various care workers especially to caring for the adults. The governments in the various countries have expanded the public childcare significantly to take care of small children (Lloyd 2012:210). This has been achieved through the creation of many preschools for the children, and it has been attractive to many as the numbers seeking the service keeps on rising.

In some Asian countries such as Japan and North Korea, the countries are trying to cope with the situation through allowing more employment of the people at the age of 40 and 50 while less employment is given to the productive population. This serves as a strategy to reduce the population in the country. The two nations also implemented the long-term care insurance which is a policy that universalizes eldercare services. This means that the little care in Asia is as a result of government activities and policies that led to the reduction in population. The case is, however, different in north America since the government does not play any role in reducing the population.

In another article by (United States. Administration for Children and Research 2016:87)there is a presentation of the decision-making process as to whether care at the old age should be provided at home or in a old care facility. According to the article, six main considerations have to be put in place before settling for the old care facility. These include the location and accessibility, the support available, isolation, medical condition, and finances. The article further gives the different factors that can help a person stay at home these include the household maintenance, transportation, home modification, personal care, and healthcare.

The author also recognised the importance of family support to the old people they say that the people feel happy when they are with their families rather than the strangers that are found in the old care facility. The document also provides the steps to be followed in the determination and choice of the outside service provider. A number of considerations are captured such as starting with the person’s network and the need to utilise the older adult resources that they had been exposed to previously. There are also considerations that people take into account when they are deciding whether they choose an agency or an independent provider.

In another article by (Matteo Lippi Bruni Affiliation: Department of Economics and Cristina Ugolini Affiliation: Department of Economics 2016:117)Ageing has been described as a crisis with the number shooting each year. The retirement benefits paid to these old people on retirement is not sufficient to meet their needs to the end. This raises the need to gain support from their relatives and other sources. The situation is made worse by the increasing needs that arise each day in their vicinity. Their immune system is usually lowered, and they are vulnerable to diseases. They, therefore, need special medical care at this age. They should be given special care and they need a better social life. failure to socialise with people around them makes their life even more challenging due to psychological disturbances that they face.

The author takes a different perspective by presenting the advantages and disadvantages they face in each of the alternative given. For instance, if the person is taken to an old care facility, then there is much stress in coping with the new environment. The person will suffer trying to adapt a new life outside the normal relatives, and this will affect the person socially. However, with time most of them get used to the situation, but the memory of life at home could trigger sorrow in them. when the person is taken to this facility most of them felt abandoned and isolated from their families who could trigger stress. The advantages of this method are also presented. One of the most attractive advantages is the provision of health care. The people at the care facility have a well profound knowledge of the diseases that are associated with the old age following their long term experience. There is also an advantage of the people of the same age interacting at the care facility. This gives them a logic of belonging where they can share their ideas and experiences which contribute to their value.

This old person can also be kept at home and given home care which is also an alternative method of attention. In the homecare there are advantages such as; there is no need to adapt to a new environment, the person will have a small company of their family anytime they are present. There is also some kind of freedom, and the person can give advice on some important issues when needed. The stay at home is attractive however the person will suffer many health related problems and the people at home are not experienced with treating these diseases. There is a high possibility of the person being left alone or even contacting various complications as a result of late diagnostic of an illness. Research showed that the individuals who are left at home are likely to die of diseases than those who are under the care facility. However, the ones at the care facility are more apt to die of the emotional and psychological disorders and other stress related illnesses.

According to a book by (Pilapil et al. 2016:132) the emergence of the childcare centres in the u.k. has been a current trend which has attracted many. The governments have also identified the importance of the childcare especially to the working population who expend most of their time on the job and have set guidelines for the establishment of the childcare as well as the policies to govern this childcare. The services to be provided at the childcare are clearly defined to ensure that the children’s rights are not neglected. There is a description of the type of people to work in this areas, and this has emerged as a business which also faces competition. With the booming rise of the new childcare every day there is concern about the quality of the services offered in the childcare as well as matters of compliance. It is a parental responsibility to ensure that the children are taken care of in the best childcare and offer them enough financial support to meet their daily needs.

Unlike caring for the old people, childcare is quite simple, and the children do not suffer from stress due to ignorance. They are made to feel free from their parent, and they learn to be independent. The childcare also helps them to develop confidence and to socialise with other children which relieve them the stress (Films Media Group and Australasia 2010:38). They learn to make independent decisions at a young age and become more creative in their life. Some children are given home care just like the old people, and they develop attached to their parents and their home. This makes them develop the family unity and gives them a clear understanding of their parents. Their decisions are often limited to their parents unlike in the case of the childcare.

Policy implications or recommendations

The different care centres should be rated by the users. This should follow a given criteria which are based on merit. The childcare should have set standards which they should meet tor them to thrive. The development of the childcare should come with the evaluation of the facilities before certification. The people employed in the childcare should show some sense of commitment that would make the children never to feel neglected. The centre should be equipped with all the necessary facilities such as a hospital or a clinic, a school, a playground among others. The facility should employ the people with real positive morals who will show the children love and care throughout the day.

The care for the old people should have different facilities to cater for their needs. They should be given a different stress relieving activities and be made active through some activities. They should be given something to occupy their mind to ease the stress. The frequency of visit for their family members should be well defined and more frequent so that they don’t feel left out. The notion that they have been dumped at the care should be eliminated through counselling and other moral support issues to make them strong. They should be entitled to routine medical services to ensure that they live healthily and have a happy life. From time to time they should be allowed to travel to some places of will and come back to relieve the monotony of staying at the care.

The people taking their dependants for care should have accurate background knowledge of the type of care they are choosing. The old people should be involved in the decision-making process and their point of view put into consideration. In cases where the old person has an economic activity in place, the family members should encourage the activity so that the individual can feel accepted in the society.

The personnel hired in the healthcare should possess much of the knowledge required to raise the children. They should have an understanding of the society morals and be ready t pass the knowledge to the children. The people employed to care for the old people should understand the complications and health issues associated with age and be ready to help their clients through these matters. the care facilities especially those for children should be diversified to accommodate the people from different cultural backgrounds. This will prevent the situation where the child grows knowing nothing about their culture for the excuse of being raised in a childcare centre.

Conclusion

Care for the dependent population is an important responsibility that mandatory to any person on earth. The responsibility, however, is left to the family members who opt to decide whether to stay with the person or take them to the care. In the care, there are shortcomings which need to be addressed through an integrative approach which is to include every person in the society. The victim of old age should decide where they want and the type of care which is best for them. the family members should find a way to ensure that the person will not have a feeling of abandonment through frequent visits to the care. The government should also be involved in ensuring the standards of the healthcare are met and that all the facilities required including healthcare are present. There should be a well-developed case of developing morals and cultural understanding in the children’s care which can be achieved by having an employee with a high diversity of cultures

If I was to implement one of the recommendations I would ensure that all the stakeholders affected and interested come on board. I would hold a discussion with them on a personal basis to seek their consent after which the decision arrived at will be the one to be implemented. In a situation where there are misunderstandings, and the decision is not clear, a secreted voting will apply, and the opinion with the upper hand will be implemented. The selection of personnel to take care will have to go through a recruitment process to get the best and the most skilled person to deliver the services.

Addendum

The concepts captured in this report are applicable to different situations and can be construed as McDonaldization at play in higher education. The idea of understanding family care has been an issue that has affected the people at higher education most. This is because most of them are found to be having the people to take care of the dependency population. The understanding of these concepts will effect in the McDonaldization at higher education in the way they capture the four primary components of McDonaldization. For instance, the knowledge in this report is based on scholarly article reviews based on the care for the dependent population. This makes it reliable in measuring the efficiency of the method of care chosen. Weighing the standards o the facility will ensure that the services offered are predictable and that are in line with the requirements of the family. The concepts help in making the correct choices based on the target goals which are realistic and measurable. The population will also have control over the choice made through close monitoring of the progress.

References

Bengtsson, Tommy. 2010. Population ageing - a threat to the welfare state? : the case of Sweden. Heidelberg ; New York: Springer-Verlag.

Films Media Group and Video E. Australasia. 2010. Aged Care : Communicating with Family and Carers. New York, N.Y.: Video Education Australasia.

Lloyd, Liz. 2012. Health and care in ageing societies : a new international approach. Bristol: policy.

Matteo Lippi Bruni Affiliation: Department of Economics, University o. B. B. I. and University o. B. B. I. Cristina Ugolini Affiliation: Department of Economics. 2016. “Delegating home care for the elderly to external caregivers? An empirical study on Italian data.” Review of Economics of the Household, v14 n1 155-183.

Pilapil, Marcel, David E. DeLaet, Alice A. Kuo, Cynthia Peacock, and Niraj Sharma. 2016. Care of Adults with Chronic Childhood Conditions : a Practical Guide. Cham: Springer International Publishing : Imprint : Springer.

The United States. Administration for Children, Youth, a. F. and Inter-university C. f. P. a. S. Research. 2016. Child care and development fund administrative data, Federal fiscal year 2013. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.