Should families look after elderly relatives?

I AM shocked the Government is considering tax incentives to try to persuade families to look after their elderly relatives (Mail). In Majorca, the elderly live with their families as a matter of course. They are not a burden, but are loved. In Japan, the older generation are treated with reverence. In China, laws have been passed about elderly care. I am 80 and know my children would never put me in a home. I find the British attitude to be heartless. SHEILA PECZENIK, Andover, Hants.

AFTER my father died, I begged my mother to move in with me, but she refused to leave her home. So I sold my house to move into her social housing home to care for her. How much money did I save the government by looking after my mother? She passed away last October at 95, and the housing association has issued me with a notice to quit. So here I am aged 71 and facing homelessness because I looked after my own. If I had left my mother to the mercies of the care system, I doubt she would have lived to such an age, and I would not be in this hopeless situation. L. MILLGATE, Edenbridge, Kent.

SIX years ago, my widowed father was showing signs of dementia. My wife and I sold our house, and moved in with him, as we were determined not to commit him to a care home. Then my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had to find a care home place for my father, as I could not look after both of them. It was heartbreaking seeing him frightened and confused. Shortly afterwards, he passed away. Thankfully, my wife has been given the all clear, but I am still haunted by guilt. MICK WHEELER, Writtle, Essex.