Overall the hard political question, the unpopular one that I'd propose--but my colleagues would not, at the immigration bar--is to prioritize another stream for the parents and grandparents. Put at the back of the queue the parents with dependants.
We're not running a parallel selection system. It's unpopular, and it may even be unfair, so...a grain of salt, that one. But if you have as priority processing the older parents, that's where our hearts should be. It's that target group that will see a coffin before a visa.