CARING FOR THE ELDERLY: THE DILEMMA OF NURSING HOME IN INDONESIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

Modern technology and medicine has ushered a new era where longevity is possible. However, the promise of long life came with unexpected consequences such as the availability of health care for the elderly, quality of life, and elderly care; especially  within a developing country such as Indonesia. Due to the increasing globalization and western influence, individuality has established a significant transformation within the family system in Indonesia. There is a shift from an extended family system to nuclear family system that leads to a breakdown of a sense of responsibility of a child to his/her parents. Consequently, nursing home becomes a solution for elderly care, although this issue remains controversial in society. Nursing home for the elderly has been stigmatized and questioned throughout the years, yet, rarely evaluated from the biblical and theological perspectives.  The objective of this paper is to study parental care and nursing home through the biblical, theological and sociological perspectives and develop a well thought answered and response to the issue itself. Through a combination of biblical, theological and sociological studies, there are three recommendations that need to be done. First, the church must educate the ageing members with the biblical perspective of ageing and what God desires from them. Second, young generations within the church should understand their responsibility toward their ageing parents based on what God has revealed in the bible. And lastly, the church should establish its own nursing home as a means of evangelization to reach for the abandoned elderly.