Surely having a Granny about the place to give a hand with the housework can take a lot of pressure off a young wife, can't it?
Yes, I think this is true. But remember the old people themselves are often against the idea of going to live with a young family. You see, modern houses and flats are very small; much smaller than the sort of homes people used to live in.
And when Granny gets very old, then the situation becomes even worse, doesn't it?
Yes. As long as old people are able to look after themselves, the system works quite well. But as soon as they need any care and attention, the situation becomes very difficult indeed. It's likely that old people may go into a nursing home, but it's not as simple as that. Because of improvements in medical science, people live longer than ever before. The birth rate has fallen. This means that a smaller working population is having to provide for a larger number of old people in need of care and attention. The number of old people's homes provided by the State is strictly limited. There are private nursing homes, but the cost is out of reach of the average family.
And how do you see the situation developing in the future?
Well, obviously a lot of money is going to have to be spent. But it's difficult persuading people to do this. There aren't many votes for politicians in providing nursing homes for the elderly.