Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

unpaid indefinite obligations

I'm pretty sure elder care isn't indefinite. Maybe we end it after this current generation of old people (our parents/grandparents) are no longer around.

One of the biggest social problems we'll face in the next 10 years is millions of people with dementia who can't take care of themselves just... existing. What do we do?

One fun story I've heard is a doctor gave an old woman with full blown dementia an operation to keep her alive, then she lived another 15 years just completely out of touch with the world. The family had to sell all her belongings (eating through their inheritance too), then pay even more to keep her in full time care. It makes no sense, but that's the standard set of rules. Little known fact: before medicare will pay out for extend services, they force your relatives to sell all your belongings (property, land, investments, etc) to pay for medical services before any other payments kick in.




Kind of like with executive power, however, once you start giving out benefits like social security, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Once you reach 65 and are eligible to start receiving payments, are you going to be okay when they say "nope, well's dry?" You would if you didn't realize they had been garnishing your salary for thirty years. But anyone with any sense of responsibility would be furious if they decided to just stop paying benefits after one generation.

Besides, how do you decide when a generation ends to stop paying?!


No one "decides". Nature takes its course.


There will always be old people and their numbers (as a percentage of the population) are only set to increase.

At least until we start hosting Carousel.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: