Why families from Europe are sending their elderly relatives to care homes in Thailand

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Thailand's Last Resort

 

 

From reports of abuse and neglect to soaring costs, the reputation of aged care homes in the West has taken a battering in recent years.

 

Now some families are finding alternatives far from home.

 

With its tropical climate, lower costs and culture of respect for the elderly, Thailand is attracting families dealing with dementia and Alzheimer's from as far away as Europe.

 

Walter Gloor brought his wife Maya to a care home in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai two years ago, from their home in Switzerland. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's when she was 50, and it had become clear that she needed round-the-clock care.

 

"The main reason was, where is the best place for Maya? ... We couldn't find anything better. So I think she deserves to be in the best place in the world," he says.

 

Full story: https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2020/05/thailand-resort-200501061215358.html

[Puchaiyank]

All kidding aside, with the air pollution and animus now prevalent in Chaing Mai...having dementia or Alzheimer's disease should be a requirement to live there...

[Farang99]

There is also the problem that so many old people in care homes are dying, either because of or with Covid-19

 

[Tarteso]

19 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

With its tropical climate,

 

[WebGuy]

How do they get the visa resolved for these people?

I remember a case when a daughter moved her elderly mother from a care home in Chang Mai to Philippines because all the family got fed up with the visa issues in Thailand. Or her mother was on the retirement visa (800 000 THB) but THB was very strong back then.

[pineapple01]

Hardly worth asking. Cheaper, no need to visit n more money from the Will in their  pockets when they croak. QED.

[mrmicbkktxl]

yeah right,waiting my 80 years old mother is doing her 90days report or extends her retirement visa,no way I would send any relative to Thailand with the current visa regulations

[finnsk]

I can hardly believe this story, maybe a very few elderly persons from the west.

 

In most europe countries there is free elderly care, close to family and relatives. I can not see the reason to send an elderly person alone to the other side of the planet, if you have just a piece of a heart.

 

In Thailand generally the education level is very low, expect you are able to pay a lot of money. Show me a elderly home in Thailand where most of the staff have more than 14 years of school/education as normal in europe.

 

What about the daily care, the thai persons normally only speaks thai ?

 

I can not see that thailand can do it better or cheaper, than the elderly homes in europe.

 

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve Vincent]

Find this story rather bizarre especially with the visa regulations and the language barrier which they would face, people put there loved ones into care homes not to get rid but to help them with the care they deserve ! I certainly wouldn’t put my elderly mother into a care home thousands of miles away from the surroundings they love and know. Care-homes maybe cheaper but will they get the help they need ? Personally I don’t think so as many elderly people don’t like change.

[robertson468]

29 minutes ago, finnsk said:

I can hardly believe this story, maybe a very few elderly persons from the west.

 

In most europe countries there is free elderly care, close to family and relatives. I can not see the reason to send an elderly person alone to the other side of the planet, if you have just a piece of a heart.

 

In Thailand generally the education level is very low, expect you are able to pay a lot of money. Show me a elderly home in Thailand where most of the staff have more than 14 years of school/education as normal in europe.

 

What about the daily care, the thai persons normally only speaks thai ?

 

I can not see that thailand can do it better or cheaper, than the elderly homes in europe.

 

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To answer the points that you make:

 

1.   Care in UK is not free.  It is very expensive and the older people can end up loosing their House, if they have one.

 

2.  If they have demential, they will slowly fail to recognise Family Members, sadly.  I also understand that relatives can stay at the Home for Elderly.

 

3.   Most Thais employed in the Care Homes speak English.  It is part of the condition of employment.

 

4.   Salaries in Thailand are much lower than Europe therefore the overheads of the Care Homes are much less.

 

5.   The point you conveniently missed is that the large majority of Thais respect and care for older people - unlike Europe where they "expect" the system to take care of them, for them - sadly.

Edited May 12, 2020 by robertson468

[finnsk]

39 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

To answer the points that you make:

 

1.   Care in UK is not free.  It is very expensive and the older people can end up loosing their House, if they have one.

 

2.  If they have demential, they will slowly fail to recognise Family Members, sadly.  I also understand that relatives can stay at the Home for Elderly.

 

3.   Most Thais employed in the Care Homes speak English.  It is part of the condition of employment.

 

4.   Salaries in Thailand are much lower than Europe therefore the overheads of the Care Homes are much less.

 

5.   The point you conveniently missed is that the large majority of Thais respect and care for older people - unlike Europe where they "expect" the system to take care of them, for them - sadly.

I do not know the conditions in UK, I know the conditions in north europe.

 

1. It could be interesting to know the cost of an elderly home in UK and the price of an thai elderly home, which can be compared to the europe level. How to find out ?

 

2. Yes sad to the demential people, a sad way to end life. I know that europe elderly care schools/universities is study on a high level to make the best care for demential persons. At thai tv, I saw yesterday evening how a thai family locked an old sick family member to a post with chains, thats an alternative way to make elderly care.

 

3. I am happy, the staff speak english, we just need to know, is this a high expensive elderly home, as only a few people can pay. Before we where talking about normally elderly homes in UK, we must be sure we have the same compare level.

 

4. Yes the normal salaries in Thailand is much lower than in Europe, the same is the school/education level. The fees/overheads in international elderly homes in Thailand is without any ceiling, because it is private enterprices, they take the money they can and they are smiling the hole way to the bank. In europe elderly care is general a public assignment without private enterprice fees or hungry stockholders.

 

5. I agree that in Europe, we get long away from the family care, now the public institutions take care of the kids and the elderly and with loss of love and heart care. In Thailand they still have the family culture with respect to the elderly thais. What is worring me, is the thais farrang attitudes, will the thai care of west elderly be in the same way as they generally talk about dirty farrangs etc ?

Edited May 12, 2020 by finnsk

[sawadee1947]

1 hour ago, finnsk said:

I can hardly believe this story, maybe a very few elderly persons from the west.

 

In most europe countries there is free elderly care, close to family and relatives. I can not see the reason to send an elderly person alone to the other side of the planet, if you have just a piece of a heart.

 

In Thailand generally the education level is very low, expect you are able to pay a lot of money. Show me a elderly home in Thailand where most of the staff have more than 14 years of school/education as normal in europe.

 

What about the daily care, the thai persons normally only speaks thai ?

 

I can not see that thailand can do it better or cheaper, than the elderly homes in europe.

 

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indeed you are totally wrong. 

Eg there is a nursing home run by Swiss people. Houses with terrace and pool. 4 care takers for every patient/24 hrs. Trained staff of course, German Doc. 

However not cheap, around 3000 Euro/month.

Where to get in Europe? 

 

[Lone Ranger]

In Hua Hin there is a luxury care home with pool,garden,cafe & 24 hr nurse assistance for the elderly on the hill couple of km past elephant sanctuary on right 7 Eleven on corner name of Sunshine Homes ..just built another one run by a Scandanavian.

 

Fes start at 30,000 baht per month which is very reasonable I think.Hope that helps.

[finnsk]

3 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Indeed you are totally wrong. 

Eg there is a nursing home run by Swiss people. Houses with terrace and pool. 4 care takers for every patient/24 hrs. Trained staff of course, German Doc. 

However not cheap, around 3000 Euro/month.

Where to get in Europe? 

 

That sounds as a comfortable place, I would like to take my last days there, but I can not pay the bill.

Normally elderly homes in Europe do not have this level I agree, but they do only cost around 20 percent of 3000 euro a month, so I think it is difficult to compare normally elderly homes in europe with this very nice swiss runned place in Thailand.

 

[Lone Ranger]

Re Hua Hin luxury care home -send email to : [email protected]   Choc dee.

[finnsk]

7 minutes ago, Lone Ranger said:

In Hua Hin there is a luxury care home with pool,garden,cafe & 24 hr nurse assistance for the elderly on the hill couple of km past elephant sanctuary on right 7 Eleven on corner name of Sunshine Homes ..just built another one run by a Scandanavian.

 

Fes start at 30,000 baht per month which is very reasonable I think.Hope that helps.

That sounds reasonable, possible to pay the bill. If you are independent of close family back in europe, that could be a good place to say good bye.

[mrmicbkktxl]

44 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Indeed you are totally wrong. 

Eg there is a nursing home run by Swiss people. Houses with terrace and pool. 4 care takers for every patient/24 hrs. Trained staff of course, German Doc. 

However not cheap, around 3000 Euro/month.

Where to get in Europe? 

 

In almost any eastern Europe country,friend of me put his mother some place in Hungary,1700 Euro including doctor visits and 24 hours nurse service

[Ireland32]

Because cheap af

[Ireland32]

30 minutes ago, gamesgplayemail said:

Because white people are pigs and do not know how to treat their old people correctly !

 

Speak about yourself moron  , I took care of my Mom last 6 years , she never wanted to be in a Home 

[vinny41]

40 minutes ago, gamesgplayemail said:

Because white people are pigs and do not know how to treat their old people correctly !

 

 

On 5/5/2020 at 2:01 PM, gamesgplayemail said:

why people just need to say something stupid all the time !?

 

 

[Lacessit]

In Australia, aged care is the subject of a Royal Commission. Expensive, abusive, leaving patients to lie in their feces and urine, understaffed, feeding pig swill, all in the name of profit. I'd top myself before I'd go into care in Australia.

There are varying levels of aged care in Thailand. One can hire a retired nurse here for 10 - 15 thousand baht per month. There's an aged care facility with round the clock staffing, accommodation, meals and a resident doctor south of Chiang Mai for 45,000 baht a month. Then there's the Swiss facility other posters have referred to, 90,000 baht off the 118.

Thai people do a very good job of looking after the elderly, it's part of their culture.

[Kalorymetr]

What the...

Why would someone do that? If think those people would be happier in a place they can recall in their distant still existing memories. It would mess me up completely If I had had this one memory of my home here in Europe and suddenly woken up in this tropical country with Asian people around me, talking strange language/accent

[TrevorC]

BBC Radio 5 have covered this subject a couple of times in the last 6 months or so. The reasons given by many were in no particular order, cost, climate and the perception that Thai carers had more respect for the elderly than their UK counterparts. 

As a related aside, the Covid 19 virus has had a shocking impact on UK care homes, and reflects the prelevance of western society to put their elderly away. During my decade+ living in LoS I have known a number of ladies who have given up jobs, some successful careers to return home to look after elderly parents. This happens more rarely in UK. 

[vinny41]

2 hours ago, finnsk said:

I do not know the conditions in UK, I know the conditions in north europe.

 

1. It could be interesting to know the cost of an elderly home in UK and the price of an thai elderly home, which can be compared to the europe level. How to find out ?

 

2. Yes sad to the demential people, a sad way to end life. I know that europe elderly care schools/universities is study on a high level to make the best care for demential persons. At thai tv, I saw yesterday evening how a thai family locked an old sick family member to a post with chains, thats an alternative way to make elderly care.

 

3. I am happy, the staff speak english, we just need to know, is this a high expensive elderly home, as only a few people can pay. Before we where talking about normally elderly homes in UK, we must be sure we have the same compare level.

 

4. Yes the normal salaries in Thailand is much lower than in Europe, the same is the school/education level. The fees/overheads in international elderly homes in Thailand is without any ceiling, because it is private enterprices, they take the money they can and they are smiling the hole way to the bank. In europe elderly care is general a public assignment without private enterprice fees or hungry stockholders.

 

5. I agree that in Europe, we get long away from the family care, now the public institutions take care of the kids and the elderly and with loss of love and heart care. In Thailand they still have the family culture with respect to the elderly thais. What is worring me, is the thais farrang attitudes, will the thai care of west elderly be in the same way as they generally talk about dirty farrangs etc ?

Average Costs for UK Care home without additional nursing support range between 150,000 baht per month to 300,000 baht per month depending on location and number of care homes available.

If the person requires 24/7 nursing support the costs are a lot higher

Majority of care homes in the UK are privately own 

In some limited cases the NHS does pay for Care homes if you meet their stringent requirements sometimes the local council will pay but only if you have no property and your savings are less than £23,000 

[vinny41]

As of 2019 there could be as many as 8.8 million adult carers in the UK

https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/press-releases/facts-and-figures

[sawadee1947]

2 hours ago, finnsk said:

That sounds as a comfortable place, I would like to take my last days there, but I can not pay the bill.

Normally elderly homes in Europe do not have this level I agree, but they do only cost around 20 percent of 3000 euro a month, so I think it is difficult to compare normally elderly homes in europe with this very nice swiss runned place in Thailand.

 

Well, that's it. 

I saw  a nice nursing home advertised at Hamburg harbour overlooking in and outgoing ships. 

However, everything got it's price. From 2800 Euro on. Half board. 

So not for everybody.

But this Chiangmai home is beautiful. I visited this place once and was impressed by this welcoming spirit. 

[sawadee1947]

2 hours ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

In almost any eastern Europe country,friend of me put his mother some place in Hungary,1700 Euro including doctor visits and 24 hours nurse service

Hmmh. I made a trip last summer through Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia. 

Nice people, good environment, good food, good beer (Pilsner) ????

These countries are really an option. BTW..... they are Europeans... ????