Would you look after your parents?

This is a sequel of sorts to my "When did we become social services?" piece in which I vented my frustration about this topic. I'm writing this because I find the same story repeating in my work as a pharmacist.

Related: When did we become social services?

As the elderly population increases and public money dries up, should people be legally forced to look after their parents?

So, the other day we received a phone call. Here are some snippets:

"Look, I've been out walking my dog this morning. Can't you make sure the driver arrives sooner? It's not convenient for me."

"It's not my fault if my mum is bed bound and can't get to the door"

I must point out that unless traffic is bad, dear Robbie (our driver) is pretty speedy. The guy does not laze around. Aside from that, this is a woman in her forties who couldn't take the time out of her busy dog walking schedule to wait around for our driver. Also, she lives in the property above her mother. I'm not joking.

The tone was accusatory. She made it clear it was our problem, our responsibility. Surveys taken in 2014 indicate that 1/3 of people aren't willing to take on the responsibility of looking after parents in their old age. No one really knows why this is happening, except that those over 55 are more likely to fall into the "No" category when asked the question. 

Some people have suggested those born in the 60s, an era of individualism, are more selfish so are less inclined to shoulder the burden. Surely, this must be rubbish, right? 

After all, the idea of multiple generation living under the same roof is still prevalent in the countries of the Far East. Millions of chinese people share their home with parents and grandparents. 

Closer to home, italian and spanish families do the same. The reasons can be financial but coming from a particular background, I can say social norms play a powerful role too. 

So, should people be legally forced to look after their parents? 

You might want to remind me I'm just a guy who dressed up at Comic Con and spends too much time playing games, that I have no right to talk about this subject.

You might want to drag me from the ivory chair of being a well heeled professional and remind me that some people just don't have the means. Remember when I said that millions of chinese people live with their parents? That country's average wage is £8300 pa. 

Perhaps this is the wrong avenue to go down. What I do want to point it is, maybe that dog walking woman I told you about earlier needs to have a long hard think. If she has time to walk her dog, she has time to see her mother.