I would love a society where the old with Altzeimers are adequately cared for, but that's not where we are
Indeed, it is perhaps one of the less attractive facets of the western lifestyle, that the old are more often or not, not cared for within the family...unlike almost every other major culture on Earth. Indeed, caring (which includes nursing) for your parents is one of the fundamental pillars of Islam.
Don't get me wrong...I'm not advocating we all rush out and convert, but is does amaze me that this current very hot topic is always discussed in purely economic terms, without ever glancing round and seeing how three quarters of the Earth's population (including the very poorest) seem to be managing it so much better than we are.
Maybe the fact that people like Duncan Bannatyne made their fortune in care homes might have something to do with it? (ps no dig him intended, I like him...just demonstrating the costs and consequences of opportunism in our market-driven society)