Care of older people in the East and West: What can we learn from other cultures?

Nursing Older People readers are invited to respond to research findings on care of older people in different cultures

In the East, it is often claimed, families are strong, older people are respected and they are cared for at home until they die.

However, in the West, families are commonly presented as dysfunctional and older people are considered a burden and put into care homes at the earliest opportunity.

There is an even bleaker belief that Europeans use euthanasia to solve the problem of an ageing population.

We are interested to learn what readers think is behind such views and what we can learn from the practice of care in different parts of the world.

Comments were sought from experts in 11 countries

The population is ageing and the need for care in later years is growing