Ask any young woman these days where she plans to retire. Most likely, she hasn’t thought of it, or if she has, one of those delightful seniors retirement centres you see in brochures and TV ads.
The problem with this plan is that the Chinese pandemic has shown seniors homes are a death trap for the elderly during a virus outbreak.
The combination of communal living, short staffing and a vulnerable age group is the perfect mix for a deadly purge. I’ll take one province as an example, as reported by the Globe & Mail:
In Ontario, among the facilities with the worst outbreaks are Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, where 29 residents have died; Almonte Country Haven in Almonte, which has had 16 deaths; Anson Place Care Centre in Hagersville, with 15 deaths; Markhaven Home for Seniors in Markham, with 10 deaths; and Lundy Manor in Niagara Falls, where 10 residents have died. Toronto Public Health on Monday reported a total of 50 deaths of residents at seniors’ homes. On the same day, the Eatonville Care Centre in the city reported 25 deaths of residents at that home.
Every other jurisdiction in Canada is reporting the same thing. The Chinese virus goes through a seniors residence like a man with a machine gun. Bam, bam, bam, you’re dead.
It should be obvious; indeed it is obvious, that seniors should be spread out in the community, not herded together like sheep for the slaughter. Now how, I wonder, could this be done?
Here’s where the new reality for young women comes in. Currently young women in Canada are convinced they should start a career, earn a living, and then, maybe, have one child. The idea of getting married and having five children is right off the radar for most girls in high school and young women in university.
And yet, family, and extended family, is the solution to the problem of looking after the elderly when they can no longer look after themselves. This was the way things were done in the past, and it looks as if this is going to have to be the way they’ll be done in the future. Women will have to start having large families again, and start to train their kids in taking responsibility for their elders.
The same goes for young men of course. Young men, if they want to stay out of retirement homes, will have to find women willing to have children and willing to inculcate them with respect and responsibility for their parents. Given the selfishness and narcissism of young people today, what number of kids do you think would be necessary to provide a couple with a safety net? I’d say five would do it, maybe three, but certainly not less.
Of course, looking 65 years down the road is not something most young women spend any time thinking about. So, it’s up to you fellas to figure it out for them. Big families are the only hope for your future.
A “granny flat” at the back of your son or daughter’s property is where you need to spend your final days. The alternative, being played out now across Canada, is too horrible to contemplate.
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