HijabHaven discusses the concept of care homes for the elderly from a Muslim perspective:
Loving your parents does not mean you have to keep them bottled up in the living room the whole day – it is much like your children, you have to let them off to pre-school one day, just for the sake of getting up and about, out the house and learning something new in this unlimited world of wisdom. It is also a time for them to make friends and talk to other people. The elderly need that too, especially if a spouse has passed on – moping around at home can lead them down memory lane’s more painful trips.
I am researching diversity and rights in the social care setting and am interested to know whether there are any restrictions within Islam that would prevent a non-muslim from providing care services – particularly personal care services such as washing and toileting – to an elderly muslim. Are there any limitations with regard to gender, for example, female carer/male service user and vice versa male carer/female service user. I would be very grateful to hear from anyone who can assist me.