Kinnock

Is this a result of the Swiss elephant sanctuary being closed down?

In my home country I used to arrange the adoption of stray cats for the Cats Protection League - and that taught me all I needed to know about Thai women.

When a stray was first adopted, she would eat like it was a last meal ever, fearing the food supply would not last.  She'd start to put on weight, which at first was a healthy improvement, but normally before she got fat, she'd realise these was this dedicated slave who adored her, and provided an unlimited supply of free food.

Then she'd get picky about what she'd eat - only fresh salmon with a side dish of prawns, or just the most expensive cat food.  Her weight would stabilise as she gradually took over the house.

But some cats couldn't kick the habit of over eating, so they'd need an exercise routine.  Cat wheel, toys, 15 minutes chasing a laser pointer etc.

Try getting your wife an exercise bike, or a clockwork mouse.

BA business class is only good if you have a thing for looking up your fellow passengers nostrils, or you want to recreate the experience of sleeping on a hospital trolley in a busy corridor.  EVA seat layout is much better.

And paying extra for seat choice is a rip off.

7 hours ago, HighPriority said:

Toddle off and read a little about battery tech in ev and you’ll see that it is quite different than your scooter and mobile phone.

Just to help you out a little, no ev don't not run on nicads.

"Toddle off"?  Playground comments are not technical points 😅

An electric scooter is an EV .... and the number of wheels on a vehicle is not a critical issue for battery degradation.

Many electric scooters and motorcycles have exactly the same battery technology as electric cars.  Mine is Lithium and it's battery has degraded to the point where I need to charge after every trip. 

So my personal experience means I will not buy an electric car until battery tech changes.  Mobile phones have the same issue, but there's no alternative tech yet.

You may have accepted the risk .... good for you .... but don't make excuses for your higher risk apetite - live with it.

Foreigners behaving badly has become a bit of theme in the Thai news lately.  While it must represent a tiny minority, it's not a good trend when there's a government that is only interested in sound bite policies.

Let's all try to avoid kicking, shoving or spitting on the locals for the rest of the month.

Thailand is for Thai people, and we will always be visitors.  Have you ever arrived at the airport and been greeted by a non-Thai immigration officer?

Compare that to The Islamic Republic of Heathrow.

2 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Integration takes time and circumstances to prove out... how helpful will you be in a family emergency? 

That's not accurate is it?  We could buy an Almera.

I think we all Adapt, Accept and Acclimatise to different extents.  

Rather than fully integrate, I believe we take some of the positives of Thai culture (not over thinking, acceptance of fate, sense of fun, outward polite behaviour) and add strengths from our own cultures (logic, commitment, sense of fair play).

I also hope we resist some of the negative traits here (entitlement, unearned respect, spite).

1 hour ago, howerde said:

Dementia is very distressing and unpleasant for the carers, my mother felt unwell after a large amount of antibiotics, she had been a nurse so she knew something was wrong, the doctors just told her nothing wrong just age, after 3 or 4 months she started having tests, it could not be a stroke/Alzheimer's/dementia, all to quick, then after 6 months they said yes it is dementia, we all said cant be, they said yes  'rapid onset vascular  dementia' she passed away within 2 years

So sorry to hear that.  Must have been a very difficult time.

It's currently distressing for my wife when her Mother only recognises her for a few seconds, then she seems to forget everyone again.  

1 hour ago, HighPriority said:

No Mr uninformed, they do not share the same battery technology.

Stop repeating stupidity for the sake of it.

So please explain?   Or is this just a defensive response due to buyers remorse?

10 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Comparing an electric scooter to an EV is like comparing well, an electric scooter to an EV. You might as well compare an apple to an orange.

Well they both have the same battery technology and an electric motor, plus similar charging cycles.  The scooter is just smaller, and this may mean the ill effects appear sooner that with a car.  Also has the scooter has a much shorter range from new, so the issue becomes critical sooner.

I was considering a battery electric car before my experience with the scooter, but I'll now be sticking to an ICE for now, or perhaps changing to a plug in hybrid.

2 hours ago, donmuang37 said:

My mother-in-law, who is in her 90s, has total dementia, incontinence and is being fed via a tube.  She stayed with my wife's brother & his wife for quite a while, but became a serious problem: Kept the up at night because she didn't sleep until 4 or 5 in the morning, periodically go angry and broke furniture, etc.  We finally had to put her in a nursing home as the family couldn't care for her at home.  There are 7 kids; 2 boys and 5 girls.  My wife, the second oldest, and her youngest sister are the only ones supporting her.  "I have no money."  "I'm too busy to visit her."  

 

So, it seems to be normal in Thailand that some of the kids do nothing to support their parents. I know of other families where this is the case, too.  And since my wife has a farang husband, of course she is expected to pay.  Of course!  🙂

Yes .... in our case the older sisters seem to feel they're privileged because they were born earlier, so the younger sister with the 'rich' husband can do the real work, while they make Royal Visits.

Once we know if she can go back home, I think paid help may be the solution ..... either to look after her Mothet .... or me 😄

3 hours ago, habuspasha said:

I'm sure no two cases are the same, but I can tell you a few things I've learned caring for my wife in New York who does have dementia (diagnosed ten years ago and is now immobile).

1.  It is enormously preferable to keep the patient at home if possible.  In the US, institutions established that during covid.  Even at home, 4-5 years ago my wife would sometimes say (she was still talking) she wanted to go home (meaning her bedroom). 

2.  Continuity of setting and care is also preferable.  Two or three constant care givers is better than different ones sent each day.

3.  It's very important to have care-givers who can engage patient, not just do the tasks.

4.  Don't assume there is nothing going on in her mind.  Don't talk baby-talk.  She hears everything and processes more than you think, even if she is not talking.

5 Try to keep her exercising however is suitable.

Thank you for the great tips.  My wife is determined to care for her at her Mother's home, which unfortunately for me, is 400km from where I live and work.  

I know I'm being selfish, but her Mother abandoned her daughter when she was 7 years old, so in my mind she's lucky to get such devotion from her youngest daughter.  

I'll visit when I can to support my wife, but due to my work that may be infrequent.

4 hours ago, Polar Bear said:

Are you sure she's not just doped up on painkillers and/or sedatives? It's possible to have ventilation without sedation, but it's unusual because it's a pretty unpleasant procedure. 

Also, when she's out of hospital (or while she's there if you aren't confident about the care she is getting), watch out for signs of a UTI, especially if she's had a catheter. UTIs frequently cause delirium symptoms in the elderly, and they mimic dementia. 

Good points, thank you.  The only medication is Amiodarone for her heart .... no pain killers.

58 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

There is no reason at all to think she has dementia. Vascular dementia occurs very slowly not suddenly.

 

It is quite common after a stroke to have trouble (or inability) speaking and you may be mistaking this for dementia.

 

The aphasia (inability to speak) may or may not improve with time. Improvement after a stroke can continue for up to 6 months and is gradual. Not speaking after a stroke  does not mean the person does not understand or recognize people or that they are demented.

 

Keep in mind too that being on a  ventilator itself interferes with speech. 

 

It is significant that the medical personnel caring for her -- who will have seen hundreds or more of such cases -- do not  suspect dementia. 

 

She is more likely to improve in familiar surroundings  than in an institution, and it is not customary in Thailand to put parents in a nursing home.  Millions of  Thai homes have elderly people with incontinence and other issues in them, cared for by family. (And with hired helpers  if the family can afford). Yes it is a strain but so is caring for an infant. And feeling that one failed in one's duty to a loved one is an even greater burden. So let your wife do what she feels she must and try to be supp8rtive. Maybe offer to pay for some in-home help (but let your wife decide how best to utilize that person). 

 

Ventilator care is of course more difficult in the home  but they will probably not discharge her unless/ until she is able to breathe on her own.

 

It is not possible to make a diagnosis via Google, even for a trained health professional.  The search engine is not designed or  constructed for it.  

 

 

Thank you for the very helpful and wise advice. 

We've already arranged for the Mother's house to be improved (basically rebuilt) to make living on the ground floor possible, and if she's coming home we'll order a proper hospital bed etc .... but I think I"m just disappointed that my wife seems to have taken on the total responsibility when there's three older siblings doing nothing to help. 

I guess I was looking for a valid reason to not let my wife take on the tough challenge of being a carer.  

I think it may be Thai culture that the youngest daughter does all the work .... or maybe just the daughter with a foreign husband.

Anyone had experience of this, as it's well beyond my own knowledge and I'm unsure about what's practical?

The Mother-in-law (73) had a stroke, and while she's gradually recovering use of arms and legs, she's still on a ventilator and cannot swallow, so feeding is via a tube.

The hospital Doctor says she will recover slowly, and they will try to remove the ventilator when they think she's strong enough to breathe unassisted.

But of even greater concern to me is that she looks (in my amateur view anyway) to have serious dementia.  She does not recognise her relatives and is not communicating proactively 2 weeks after the stroke.

The Doctor and nurses dismiss my concerns about dementia, but even though she can sit up and look at people, there looks (to me) to be no higher level understanding about what's going on around her, and no attempts at communication.

After consulting Dr Google it sounds like vascular dementia to me.

My wife has plans for moving her back to her Mother's house and caring for her there .... but is this practical?

She's on a ventilator, fed through a tube, suffering from probable dementia and incontinent.  Back in my home country that would mean professional care in a nursing home ..... my the Missus thinks she can care for her.

Surely this will be a huge strain?

4 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

I was told the most important space on a page of text is the white part between the lines.

You were misinformed.

Probably.

I have a 5 year Thai licence and got an IDP from the Land Transport Office (took about 20 minutes).  When I hired a car the UK they only wanted to see the IDP.

On 2/19/2024 at 1:53 PM, gomangosteen said:

As a cyclist I find these various small electric vehicles one more hazard to cope with, not fast enough for the car lane, too slow for the left motorcycle/ cycle lane.

 

I've seen this yellow/black one on the highway out of our town, competing with trucks, racing D-Max pick-ups etc. there's also a larger four-seater one, minus doors, appears to have a top speed of 20kmh.

 

Is it wrong that my first thoughts were that I want one of those?  

Alternative to the bike for 7-11 trips during the monsoon season.

If I'm paying cashless, and it's the scan a printed barcode (Grab, small restaurants) I add the tip to the amount.  If it's the on-screen system with amount, as in bigger restaurants, I'll tip in cash.  Locals seem to do the same.

When I first arrived I used to tip more, as I was thinking in home currency, but now only 20 THB plus loose change.

I try to avoid using taxis now, but for motorcycle taxis I tip, and everytime they try to give me the change and look confused, so I guess locals do not tip the 'Win'.

It's freely available on the streets where I live - sold from the back of cars at night.  They all have bright flashing lights as advertising, so not hard for the police to spot if they believed it was threat to humanity.

Anyone tried it?

57 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

You are correct!

Though, I did not say the Yaris Cross did not have a CVT transmission.


 
Thanks for the information but why would I want a Nissan Kicks?

 

Two good reasons are the previous two Nissans I owned.

The Kicks is all electric drive, which reduces any maintenance issue with the ICE drive system, such as the rubber belt CVT.  The Kicks also has an ordinary car battery, so no expensive replacement needed in future.

The latest Kicks has had an interior upgrade, so it looks more upmarket inside than the first version.  Generally Nissan have a better ride than Toyota or Honda, and the Kicks is reasonably quiet at highway speeds.

The one pedal system is great in heavy traffic.

But a downside of Nissan is higher depreciation than Toyota, although it's new price is slightly lower cost than the Yaris Cross.

I'm looking to replace an X-Trail, and as there's no new X-Trail in Thailand, I'm considering downsizing to a Kicks or a Yaris Cross.  Also looking at CR-V, but it looks like a chest freezer, and the Subaru Forester, which is currently a great price.

17 hours ago, LosLobo said:

I’m planning to become a Yaris Cross owner later this year.

My decision is primarily influenced by Toyota’s reputation for reliability, their extensive dealer network, the compact size of the vehicle, and its impressive ground clearance of 210mm.
 

While the vehicle’s fuel economy is certainly a plus, it doesn’t significantly impact the total cost of ownership for me.
 

This car isn’t just for me - it will be shared among my partner, her daughter, and myself. Its smaller size makes it easy to handle, park, and manoeuvre, which is a big advantage for the other halves.
 

Living in Thailand, we often encounter flooded roads. The high ground clearance of this vehicle makes it a very practical choice.
 

My son had the opportunity to drive this model recently and he was particularly impressed by several features:

 

1)  The convenience of a hybrid that doesn’t require charging like an electric vehicle.

 

2)  The elevated driving position that offers a panoramic view aided by the 360-degree camera.

 

3)  The comprehensive Safety Sense package.

 

4)  The smooth acceleration and deceleration without excessive engine revving, a common issue with most CVTs.

 

In conclusion, this vehicle seems to tick all the right boxes for our family’s needs and preferences.

 

I thought the Yaris Cross had a CVT gearbox in addition to the electric motor?  It may rev less when accelerating, as the electric motor provides assistance, but I thought it still had CVT?

If you want all electric drive plus an ICE for charging, the Nissan Kicks is an option.