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Combining day care with elder care, now there's a double edged sword. At first glance it would appear to be the perfect solution to short-staffed, overworked professional care givers. Society's already overburdened health care system could take advantage of a single source of care giving to provide for two diverse segments of the population. Think of the potential for savings in staff, buildings, utility expenses and equipment.

It would be easy enough to believe that the gurgling and cooing of new lives could be enough to awaken the last sparks of life in an elderly person who may have trouble finding meaning for existing any longer. Much as bringing puppies and kittens into a nursing home has been shown to cheer the residents and bring joy and playful laughter to the sterile, institutional environment, perhaps a cuddly toddler or a precocious four year old could provide a charming diversion to the sameness of an elderly person's day.

By this same theory, the day care children would thrive under the extra attention provided by these pseudo grandparents. Fewer staff personnel might be required to fulfill the needs of both the elderly and the very young alike. Another bonus would be cost reductions for these institutional settings. Perhaps, in certain situation, this combination of caring services could benefit the old, the young and society in general. It almost sounds like a great leap forward in health care reform for at least two segments of society and a huge cost savings for the rest of the population.

Unfortunately for this plan, children are human beings with specific needs and requirements for their appropriate care. They are young, energetic and growing with each new day's experiences. They deserve every opportunity to expand their horizons under the guidance of trained educational professionals. The needs of the very young require almost super-human efforts to provide the diversity of care and nurturing needed to start them out in life.

The elderly are also human beings with very different needs in order to survive. Those confined to elder care facilities often have serious health and medical concerns that must be dealt with in ways that may be frightening to young, impressionable minds. Not to mention the fact that nursery school settings are often a haven for every cold, flu and communicable ailment going around at any given time. Many frail elderly folks would not be able to mount an adequate defense with their weaker immune systems to fight against contagion.

Neither age group should be used as a pawn in society's efforts to contain costs and manage care of those too early or too late in life to provide fully for their own needs. Within the home and family setting, all age groups come together as a natural course of events. Grandpa may pass on his love of playing the piano to his grandson. Great-grandma may share the family's secret recipes. Generations coming together in this manner are bonded by blood and history.

This same bond does not exist throughout the general population. When children enter the day care world and older folks require elder care facilities, it is because families must reach beyond their own resources and draw on the aid of society. Each group requires skilled care and it is not realistic to assume that any single caregiver could be adequately prepared to give each generation the specialized attention they deserve.

Learn more about this author, Leann Zotis.
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