> Relatives often shoot themselves in the foot though ... because they didn't want to look after them themselves. Or because it is too difficult to do so. Peop

> Relatives often shoot themselves in the foot though ... because they didn't want to look after them themselves. Or because it is too difficult to do so. People are having children later in life and moving to different cities. Housing affordability in many places makes it difficult to provide for a family on one income. If your parents need care as young as 80 and you are 50 with young teenaged children, your capacity to also provide daily living assistance to up to four people who live 100 miles away in opposite directions is rather limited. > Centuries ago, if you could live comfortably ... you need to pay people increasing amounts of money to do what was once considered menial or easy work Jobs like this in domestic service or healthcare often came with accommodation and sometimes board. Even if that's in a dormitory, it would still often be better accommodation than you would be able to afford on the market. The level of comfort relative to others of your class would be enormous. Nowadays, those affordability problems that everyone is experiencing are compounded for people in roles that would previously have been live-in positions. Another issue is that the job of a healthcare assistant is not only poorly paid, but is also not part of a career path. Previously, much of this work would have been done by (often trainee or junior) nurses, with all the prestige and potential that that career brings with it.