Band 8.5–9.0 model essay
325 wordsIt is sometimes argued that governments should take responsibility for elderly citizens by providing financial support once they retire from work. I largely agree with this view, since many elderly people cannot fully provide for themselves in old age, although families should also share part of this responsibility for their wellbeing and daily care as they grow older and their needs increase.
To begin, government-funded pensions and healthcare support are essential because many elderly individuals lack sufficient personal savings to sustain themselves after leaving the workforce permanently. To illustrate, decades of modest wages, unexpected medical expenses or sudden economic downturns can leave retirees with severely inadequate funds, and without reliable state assistance, such individuals would face poverty or preventable health complications during their final years of life. Moreover, since elderly citizens have historically contributed to the economy and paid taxes consistently throughout their working lives, it is only reasonable that the state reciprocates by ensuring their basic needs are met once they can no longer work or generate income of their own, having already given decades of service and productivity to society as working citizens.
That said, government support alone should not entirely replace the role of family members in caring for elderly relatives. To clarify, financial assistance cannot substitute the emotional companionship and daily practical care that family members are best positioned to provide, such as help with household tasks, transportation, or simply spending quality time together to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation in later life. Therefore, while the state should shoulder the financial burden, families should continue to contribute emotional and practical support wherever realistically possible for them to do so, balancing their own competing responsibilities, such as work and raising children of their own.
In conclusion, governments should provide financial support to retired citizens who often cannot support themselves. This responsibility should be complemented, rather than replaced, by ongoing family involvement in elderly care wherever their own circumstances realistically allow it.
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