Having children doesn't guarantee elderly care in Spain

When having children doesn't guarantee elderly care

An elderly person lives in a dilapidated chalet with a caregiver who barely attends to them, while neighbors take turns handling emergencies. This recurring story in dependency debates highlights an uncomfortable reality: parenthood is not a care insurance.

The myth of the caregiving child

Data from nursing home staff reveal that 95% of residents have children. This figure, drawn from sector testimonials, dismantles the traditional equation: having offspring does not prevent institutionalization. Often, children live abroad, have their own family burdens, or relationships have simply deteriorated. A child who moves to Switzerland or England is unavailable to change diapers.

Reverse mortgages and caregivers as alternatives

In the absence of family support, the reverse mortgage combined with hiring caregivers emerges. Proponents argue this allows seniors to keep their homes and receive care without relying on children's goodwill. However, the cost of a caregiver can consume much of a pension or estate.

Generations at odds: locusts and ants

The debate crosses generations. Baby boomers, sometimes called the "locust generation," took the best part of the welfare state. Their children, the millennial generation, cannot afford housing and see inheritance as their only way out. In this context, having children becomes both an economic and emotional decision. Many young people choose not to have them, noting that their parents work until age 72 and do not want that future for their own children.

Dignified exit: euthanasia as planning

A growing opinion supports voluntary euthanasia as a solution for extreme dependency. The idea of dying with dignity, avoiding being a burden, gains adherents. Philosophers like Nietzsche and Schopenhauer are cited to justify a free and timely death. However, current law only permits it in cases of serious, incurable illness, not due to old age.

The startling statistic

Despite testimonials about abandoned seniors in nursing homes, the percentage of older adults dying alone in hospitals—with children who do not appear—continues to grow. Filial care, when it exists, usually falls on one person, almost always a daughter, while other siblings wait for the inheritance. The lesson: planning old age with savings, adapted housing, and preventive powers is safer than relying on offspring.