Giving support can be in the form of child or pet care while the parents are working, going out, or running other types of errands. Elderly parents can even go as far as supporting their adult children financially, helping them find work or even providing them with work (Millward, 1998, p.15). In some cases, adult children without families of their own remain as residents in their parental home to help mitigate the effects of ever-increasing living costs. Older people therefore remain as a strong basis of support, in many cases, for their grown children.
On the other hand, nobody remains active and lively forever. As older age sets in and as a result of the rising costs of living today and the shrinking provisions offered by pension schemes, many older people also elect to move in with family rather than into a care home during their later years. In this way, they receive a significant amount of care based upon their family structure, which includes practical care such as providing meals and helping with basic daily routines as well as related concerns such as advocating for support to elderly people living in the homes of their children or other family members (Hollis-Sawyer, personal communication, 1/15/2013). This makes the topic important to study from the viewpoint of policymakers and sociologists. Specifically, questions around how older people can be helped to remain as productive and happy members of society for as long as possible can be addressed in such studies.
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When studying aging and the relationship of older people with their peers, family, and society in general, it is also important to consider the viewpoint of families as care givers in a world where no two experiences of aging are quite the same and where no amount of needs is consistent. In other words, lending support to older people is important. It is, however, also important to provide support and relevant, helpful information to families of older citizens when it comes to decisions such as accepting elderly parents back into the household.