[IronRanger]

The other factor little talked about in Europe is aged carers - usually from Eastern Europe and the FSU - rushing to return home to their families in the midst of border closures, lockdowns, and flight cancellations.

This lead many residents to die of neglect, or for COVID to sweep easily through many centres if the remaining staff worked whilst symptomatic and took shifts across multiple locations.

This is part of the reason why countries in EE and the FSU, as well as those with less strict lockdowns (ie. Sweden), had lower mortality rates than in places like the UK, Spain, Italy, France.

It might be worth reconsidering the whole aged care model, and advancing the idea of voluntary euthanasia for the elderly.

[sam_bristow]

What do you mean by that last paragraph? Because on first read it sounds like you're suggesting something horrifying and I hope there's a more generous interpretation I've missed.

[IronRanger]

People should be able to go out on their own terms, instead of deteriorating in an aged care centre. It should be completely legal for those aged 80 and over, for example, to seek to end their life - if they decide they have lived all they want, and don't want to suffer the problems associated with old age. This also allows them to choose their time of death, and for their family to remember them in a state of relatively good health.