"Fostering" elderly people. Would you?

[Portofino]

I saw a thread recently where someone wanted to "adopt" some grandparents. I can quite understand that concept, especially if you have no family near by.

However, in Belgium, in Namur province, apparently they have run out of care home places. So they have a pilot scheme in place whereby you can volunteer to "foster" an OAP and look after them. Presumably there is payment for this, and concerns about potential abuse were mentioned....
Apparently a dozen elderly people have been housed under the scheme....

But would you do this? Would your parents? These aren't cute children. I do wonder if truly altruistic people with time on their hands are the ones signing up for this, or just ones after the money.....

so you have to live with the oap?

Well yes, or rather they live with you. Like fostering a child....

I would happily do this. And not for the money as am a foster carer already.

I can imagine it would be much cheaper for the government as care home costs are about £800 a week. Foster carers would be much cheaper (£130 a week).

i suppose you must have to be pretty close to the oap in the first place?

Bear in mind that it could be 100 hours of care for £130 a week - can't imagine anyone doing that for the money

Carers (all types) save the government a lot of money - I think Riven posted a little while ago that it was over a billion a year.

Sounds like a good idea. Don't see why any problems would be any harder to address than with fostering children and young people.

Not sure I would do it, though. Do have at the back of my mind that I might like to foster children one day, but not sure it will ever happen.

no