Cultural expectations

Grrr - first grumble from me. Why do people feel the need to force their beliefs and opinions on you without listening to you. I was just discussing with a colleague about caring for the elderly and in particular elderly people in your family - parents, grandparents etc. My colleague is Asian and she said people in "this country" (being the UK) don't care about their family or have the same family bonds because many English people opt to put their elderly relatives in an Old Peoples Home. What a load of crap, I mean, I love my family more than anything but love doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your life for someone else's. You may think that is a selfish viewpoint but what moral code tells us we must give up our lives completely for a family relative who needs 24 hour care. Take for example, my Granddad who is suffering from Alzheimer's. Should I, or one of my aunts or uncles give up their jobs, their friends and their family to take on the care for my Granddad, who needs 24 hour support. Or, should we choose to put him in a home where there are nurses, counsellors, and other people his age where he can get the help and support he needs for such an illness. Where my family and I can go to visit him without resentment and enjoy the time we spend with him.

I am not looking for validation of my thoughts, as I know everyone has different views on such matters but it really irks me when people think that their way of dealing with things is the right and only way to do it.