To think this

[GeckoFeet]

Babies are designed to be cute as otherwise we wouldn't be so willing to look after them.

Old people are not cute but they still need looking after. But by the time they are old hopefully (for them) they have done enough for their family for their family to want to look after them. If not then your at the hands of nursing home staff who don't love you, are poorly paid and overstretched.

I think nursing home staff are amazing and come to love their patients.

Old people have a lot to give.

not all children are pleasant

Please remember there are those of us unfortunate enough to have had a horrible mother and would not wish to look after her when she got old.

Bizarre thread

Just mothers?

The capacity to care for the elderly is going to become increasingly difficult as the population increases over the coming decades. I'm not sure making them more cute is going to square that circle.

I think you're right re. babies, this is the same in the animal kingdom.

I'm not sure with old people, I think animals just let their elderly die when the time comes. I don't think there is any evolutionary value in caring for the elderly. That's more of a personal choice, which I suppose is why we see huge cultural differences.

We all loved my nan greatly. But there was no way she could have lived at home. She needed care. She wasn't any less loved

Decent older people wouldn't let their busy adult DC 'look after them'.
Stick me in a home and let them live the prime of their own lives without the indefinite burden.

This.

I'm not sure that there's going to be much choice in the matter unless something is done about the scale of social care.

Babies and children go to nursery and school allowing parents to work. There isn’t an equivalent for older people not able to look after themselves.

I think there are lots of people out there who find babies and care home residents the same level of cute/uncute. They're both almost bald, wrinkly, cry/complain a lot and dependent on your for everything.

I've never found anyone else's baby cute tbh.

I can’t stand my parents and they are now eighty and I detest the duties I see stretching ahead. My kids are young adults and lovely and they will get my care every time.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to plan for their own care when they get older, if your kids want to do it good luck to them but it shouldn’t be seen as a given. Our generation (X) and beyond will be working much longer than our parents did and can’t be expected to be unpaid carers on top of that. If I have any spare time or money it will go in the direction of my own children but I don’t foresee much of either.

@MagnetCarHair I said mothers because that was my experience. Our mother was narcissistic and controlling to both me and my sister. We both agreed that we could not bear to be involved in any personal care for her. There are always the people who say "Oh but you'd do it because it's your mother~" but we couldn't bear to touch that woman.

Sorry that you had an awful mother. That's sort of my point. The only hope that people have of getting looked after by their kids when they are older is if theyve put the work in with their kids earlier on.

Yeah but since she was loved I'm sure you all made sure the care home was doing what they were supposed to. And visiting her etc. I'm imagining that you had a big influence on the quality of life she had at the end.

I would much rather change a babies nappy than an old man or woman's incontinence pads.

Before babies go to nursery they need 24/7 care. Some elderly people also need that too at some point. But everyone prefers to look after a baby rather than an old person.

Very wise as usual @NuffSaidSam

We can't compare humans to other animals though. Some animals kill their less strong babies or leave them to die.

Humans are different.

Humans are generally wired to love and emotionally care for all members of their family, old and young. That love and emotional care means most people, but sadly not all (I don't mean when there's been abuse, which can change things), want to see their elderly family members safe and well looked after

Going beyond related family, because the child free and childless also deserve care (and paid tax for other people's childrens schools and healthcare, so absolutely have a right to get help when they need it). A sign of a civilised society is how it cares for its most vulnerable and that includes the elderly.