Furioso

2 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

They dont sound like real friends to me. Up to you. Tough call. Thailand would be a tough place to live if your marbles are gone.

I don't know, they seem to be doing what they can they just haven't put all the pieces together yet. I've seen my friend answer texts/answer phone calls discussing plans/finances, etc. Honestly if the sick guy has led a loner lifestyle without any close attachments these golfing "friends" maybe be a godsend. 

5 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Just do it. Dont tell them.

I know I should but I don't even know the guy. But, if they don't get their s together...

Just now, Harrisfan said:

Why don't you escort him or you too busy as well?

I already told my friend I will escort him back if need be. He hasn't taken me up on my offer...yet. 

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

We don't know what his physical condition looks like, he might be ambulatory and unremarkable in appearance in which case airline would be none the wiser and let him check in. Quite possible  for someone with worsening dementia to look normal enough at a glance. 

 

But getting by himself through Swampy onto the correct flight, and then at Heathrow airport out to a cab and a hospital, all on his own, is not feasible for someone with dementia. 

 

In addition there does not seem to be a plan for his care once in the UK.  Just showing up at a hospital when what he needs is longterm placement in a care home (for which there may be a long wait lists) is not a viable plan. 

 

Placement in a care home in Thailand may be an option IF  he can afford  it. In which regard it is imperative that someone reliable has power of attorney to manage his finances and legal affairs (including visa) for him.

 

The best place in Thsiland taking cost, quality and long term reliability    into account is MCKean in Chiang Mai . They have a memory Unit. 

 

https://mckean.or.th/

Good points Sheryl. To summarize what I know, please forgive me for repeating some of this info.  My friend knows him because he's part of a small group of friends who get together about 2 times a year for dinner in Bangkok. I think they're ex-golfing buddies.  And yes, the guy who has dementia is able to walk fine, seems spritely but he's forgetting a lot. The friends have decided he needs help as his condition is obviously going to get worse. He sold his apartment, is currently renting. I think his financial situation is just "ok". I don't know how much care would cost here in Thailand, maybe that's why they want to send him back to U.K. He's 83, has no family except an 86 year old sister and a niece who he may barely know.

As a group they are trying to arrange everything and I believe they're going to contact the Embassy, which is very important as they will probably learn A LOT about how to assist an ailing British ex-pat in Thailand. They're going to find out they can't just put him on a plane solo. Also these friends may not be very close, just ex golfing buddies who happen to care enough to try and help this guy. I can kind of relate as I'm here with no family and only have a few casual friends scattered between here and Las Vegas.

He's 83 and alone and now he needs help but barely has anyone in his life to help him. I wonder how common a situation like this arises?

Thanks for all your inputs, they are very helpful. I don't have any new update right now, but I'll see my friend in a couple of days. He did say they were going to contact the embassy, so that's encouraging. I'm pretty sure the original plan to put him on a plane solo isn't going to happen, it doesn't even look possible.

Thanks again, I'll post when I find out any new info. 

1 minute ago, vinny41 said:

 

I wonder why his "friends" said no to your kind offer of escorting him back to the UK

UK hospitals don't  admit people on the basis that they have Alzheimer's

Millions of people in the UK are required to privately fund care homes for relatives that have Alzheimer's or dementia with monthly fees   in excess of B340K depending on the level of care required and if additional medical care is required

1st point of call should be British Embassy

If he is unable to make decisions once he reaches the UK he would come under the Court of Protection

We make decisions on financial or welfare matters for people who can’t make decisions at the time they need to be made (they ‘lack mental capacity’).

https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/court-of-protection

Ideally there needs to be someone that acts in the best interest of the person in question to ensure that any assets in Thailand are sold and transferred back to the UK

If he has sufficent assets a care home in Thailand would provide a better quality of life than a care home in the UK at a far lower cost

Frenchman’s rescue in Chiang Mai highlights Thailand as a caring alternative to nursing homes

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/02/28/expat-with-alzheimers-rescued-in-chiang-mai/

 

Yes, this is a strange case where the guy with Alzheimer's has no family(no wife/no ex-wife/no kids). He has an 86 year old sister so that's probably no help and the niece that's 600KM away from Heathrow. His financial situation is ok. I offered assistance out of frustration, basically I was complaining "why don't you or your friends take him back?". and he downplayed it then didn't' want to discuss it further.  We're still on speaking terms though. Good news is sometime during our discussion he mentioned they would contact the British Embassy. His apt. has been sold(he's currently renting) so that's already taken care of. I don't know all the facts as why they're sending him back to the U.K. I can only surmise they think the U.K. NHS will take care of him. He has no home to go back to. He may barely know the niece but once again, he does have a 86 year old sister. At least 2 or 3 of his friends are getting this plan together, and I can vouch for my friend he's been very successful his whole life and usually get things done proper. It's just the whole put him on a plane and send him on his way that I just don't agree with. Seems really unacceptable. Who knows maybe there's a few key points about their plan I don't know about and he'll be fine. Doesn't seem so but you never know. Abourt 6 months ago a quiet guy that lived below me found out he had early stage Alzheimer's. He was running Venom or Cobra I forget. Anyway, his brother came over from the U.K. Sold his condo and escorted him back to the U.K. I installed a new T.V. in that condo after he left. It was completely empty except for a bottle of cologne. It was just so gd sad I don't wish dementia on anyone. 

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

As soon as the airline staff see his condition he will likely be refused boarding if he has no one to take care of him during the flight.   The cabin crew, even if they wanted to, are not permitted to take on that responsibility.

he's supposed to leave early March and his passport expires 15 March

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

 

 

These people might be worthwhile contacting:

 

http://heathrowtravelcare.co.uk/

 

Thanks, I'll forward this to the appropriate person. 

6 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

was he diagnosed with alzheimer's here in thailand? there are many forms of dementia, including alzheimer's. some dementia patients are peaceful, while others can be confrontational and may become aggressive. if he is only forgetful, this can be arranged in advance with the airline by having an escort both at departure and arrival.

 

it seems there are still many open questions, but the best solution is definitely for someone he knows to accompany him on the journey. i did this eight years ago with a person suffering from dementia. it was not easy and extremely exhausting, but it was the right decision to accompany this person ...

I have a feeling in the end they'll do the right thing..especially since I don't think they can put him on a plane without someone noticing he's impaired. Plus I stuck my nose into this I've already made one of the friends mad at me but this is something worth fighting for. I've never met the 83 year old guy, I've just heard the stories, mostly on how forgetful he is. 

8 minutes ago, sidjameson said:

I imagine Heathrow would have a protocol in place. Maybe contact them. 

 

Thailand has care homes starting at 25k a month.  Wouldn't that be better?

I will ask them about this. Thanks!

Just now, Tropicalevo said:

 

I agree with you. He should be escorted.

What if halfway through the flight he forgets where he is and tries to open the plane door.

I actually said this to one of the guys 30 minutes ago! He said he's very docile, he'll have all the paperwork on him blah blah blah. 

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Surely solo would have to be co-ordinated with airport staff (on both ends) with the niece confirmed to collect.

They haven't been able to contact her..I dont' know all the details but I think the plan is for him to get off the plane at Heathrow and catch a cab to hospital. No airport staff involved either. Flight is scheduled for first week of March. 

5 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

It depends how you fund the transfer - just go to their website, you can input the information and it will tell all.

Okay, I checked and here's what it would cost me to send 500 GBP via Wise.

1. Debit Card: 7.38 GBP fee. Maybe another fee idk. 

2. Bank Account: 4.12 GBP fee. This would give Plaid access to bank account info. 

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Just to show my latest transfer. GBP to THB at 8am, cost 4.69. THB to THB cost Bht 44.76

How much would it cost to send 500 GBP? 

12 minutes ago, Gobbler said:

 

Yes there is. 

I checked, you're right to get $500 from the U.S. it costs:

1. Approx 15 USD via Debit Card.

2. Approx 6 USD via Wise. 

15 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

I gave up on that Plaid stuff, I just use my debit card now

I think I'm going to do the same, there isn't really much price difference between Wise and Debit Card anymore. 

17 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Are you talking about from US? from the UK they can automatically take the money out of my banks account, i decline that and do it manually, maybe you can do the same with Plaid

Yes I'm trying to send money from my U.S. bank to Bangkok Bank. I try to bypass the Plaid option but there's no way around it. I did a little more digging and you can register an account on plaid.com to see what information they're getting from you..with the option to shut any account plaid is accessing. I don't know if I'm going to use Wise anymore or not, this is just too intrusive. 

I apologize in advance if this has been brought up before. However, today I tried to use Wise and right before I press the last button it says I need to approve "Plaid" to reconnect my bank account. This is the first time this has come up and I've been using Wise every month for 2 years. I did a quick google search and if I approve Plaid it allows them to extract information from my account. 

Anyway, just curious as to what your experience has been. 

Did this happen to you?

Does this keep you from using Wise anymore? 

Obesity and Morbid Obesity are a world wide problem.  No, not a problem but an epidemic. No, sorry not an epidemic but a gd apocalypse! I left S. Korea in 2011 and for the most part Koreans were downright slim. Now almost every Korean I see is morbidly obese.

For the first time in human history the average life expectancy is going down. It's not uncommon for people in their 30's and 40's to die of obesity related illness. 

Hello, I noticed my 2021 HS TomTom Navigation now provides traffic info. I don't think this feature worked when I bought it. Anyone else notice this?

I wonder if they updated my navigation during my most recent service or maybe they push the update over the air?

On 10/1/2024 at 5:55 PM, Celsius said:

Is Thailand a good value for money - if you have money?

 

 

The folks here with money love it here and they are just like anyone with money..they won't spend it unless they get a deal. I see them give 20 baht tips all the time, and you see the wheels turning in their head that they should've tipped only 10 baht.