Sad, but true - having children is no guarantee that we'll have support if we become less independent, need to lean on others more. My parents had five children, but it turned out that just one was there for reliable support as she aged upward. Sometimes, being able to provide care & support just isn't a viable option. That's how it was in our family. In some families, no one is able or interested or available to provide tender loving childing as a parent gets older elderly ancient.
Being a parent is no guarantee that the kids have any knowledge of how to child an older loved one, how to provide tender loving support & care in an empowering way.
As for being physically, let alone emotionally, present - - major issues can divide a parent & child, a child's family issues, difficult in-law dynamics, long distances, lack of finances... The reasons for children not to be present in elderly parents lives go on & on.
Which is why the US News article - How to Prepare to Age Alone - is an essential read, even for whippersnappers in their twenties. It's not just that all sorts of factors can scatter a family to the four corners of the world or that personal dynamics might make being there for Mom or Dad or Aunt Edna impossible - unlike every era that came before ours, there's no longer an expectation that family members will naturally be there for the aged parent, the elderly aunt.
We are all served by giving long thought to how we would get by if facing a solitary old age, by considering some of the factors facing older family & friends. A must-read for those who want to be prepared, who hope to lend a helping hand.
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