No Country For Old Men. Certainly not Thailand.

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Friends,

 

Some have asked the question concerning the best country for old men.

 

Therefore, what might be the worst country for old men?

Or, no country for old men?

 

And so...here is a real question.....

 

What might be the worst country for you, an old man.

 

There are some places in Mexico that I would not want to be, being old, or being young.

 

However, regarding the very worst?

What do you think?

 

What would be NO COUNTRY for OLD MEN?

 

 

 

The worst of the worst.

 

[swissie]

Thailand can be a good place for old Farang men. If the Farang can afford an expensive (private) health insurence or has 5 million Bht stacked under his pillow.

Otherwise it's just like constantly sitting at the roulette-table in old age.

 

[Sparktrader]

Movie 50% good

[GinBoy2]

I think Thailand is a great country for the 50 something year old man.

 

But get into your 60's and thing start to change.

 

We all think we're immortal, but stuff starts to happen.

 

You'll see your medical insurance go exponential as you move through your 60's and into your 70's, if that is you can actually get insurance.

 

In the West, even in the US with our f****cked up health insurance system, get to 65 and you get security through Medicare.

 

The kind of opposite happens in Thailand where health insecurity gets worse as you age.

 

So for me at least. Enjoy the fun times in Thailand, but then go home to sit out the inevitable

[KhunLA]

If you never bought healthcare insurance, and actually saved all those premiums, then your oops fund here should far surpass any oops expenses you might have.

 

Something I never bought into, thankfully.  Luckily never needed, so I'm way ahead on that curve.

 

I really have no faith in any health insurance company actually honoring their contract, if needed, especially late in life.   Knowing you'll be long gone before any lawsuit settles.

[Lacessit]

One has only to read the evidence and findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care  to understand Australia is no country for old men and old women alike.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-11/pensioner-says-she-is-unable-to-bear-the-cost-of-living/101053866

 

My aged care system in Thailand consists of my Thai GF and her family, who have good reasons to keep me alive and healthy for as long as possible.

 

Certainly, I have to pay for medical care here. That's why, like another poster, I have pooled the money I have saved, from not buying dubious insurance, into an emergency fund.

 

I can choose to live in Australia with almost free medical care, carefully budgeting a pension while living in a caravan park, eating noodles garnished with the occasional sardine, and keeping myself warm or cool with electricity bills the size of a high roller pot. I can also express my opinion of politicians at the ballot box, be still my heart.

 

Or I can live in Thailand very comfortably, eat well, have regular massages, play golf, swim etc. etc. I have no financial worries here.

 

The choice is quite obvious to me.

Edited May 11, 2022 by Lacessit

[spidermike007]

Thailand is an excellent choice for those of us who are getting up there in years. As long as you have money, or a good pension or income. The quality of life is quite good here, things are still quite reasonable, labor is inexpensive, and even at 60 or 70, you can find a relationship with a pretty, charming woman who is quite a bit younger. In the US, you need to be a centimillionaire to do that. 

 

For those of us who do not own property back in our home countries, Thailand is a great option. For the same home I rent here, I would have to pay $3,500 a month in many larger cities in the US. That is 120,000 baht a month, which represents the very definition of insanity, and an economy that is out of control. A bag of groceries back there is $100 and up. Anything labor related is out of control.

 

Health care? Even without insurance here it is affordable. I visit the emergency room here to visit a specialist, and with x-rays I am out the door for 2000 baht, at a private hospital. In the US? $300-2000. An anecdote on this subject. A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1,400,000 baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote. In the interim, my friend called a good friend of his, in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, he knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back the next day, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon here got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1,400,000 at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at Vejthani Hospital, and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon. VS. 31,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery!

Edited May 11, 2022 by spidermike007

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand is an excellent choice for those of us who are getting up there in years. As long as you have money, or a good pension or income. The quality of life is quite good here, things are still quite reasonable, labor is inexpensive, and even at 60 or 70, you can find a relationship with a pretty, charming woman who is quite a bit younger. In the US, you need to be a centimillionaire to do that. 

 

 

I did not know there were any charming women left in Western countries, most seem to have the disposition of pit vipers.

The fangs are on full display when it becomes known I have a Thai GF 23 years younger than me.

[BritManToo]

10 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I did not know there were any charming women left in Western countries, most seem to have the disposition of pit vipers.

The fangs are on full display when it becomes known I have a Thai GF 23 years younger than me.

Never tell anyone in the west where you are, or what you're doing.

I'm enjoying my last years much more than I even anticipated.

Surprisingly, I'm enjoying them more than my younger years.

Thailand has been the best days of my life.

Edited May 11, 2022 by BritManToo

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I did not know there were any charming women left in Western countries, most seem to have the disposition of pit vipers.

The fangs are on full display when it becomes known I have a Thai GF 23 years younger than me.

They seem to be highly resentful of a guy who is able to get with a far younger woman, without having to jump over very high hurdles. Not fair. Not right. Not good. Why? Is he worth hundreds of millions? Oh. She is Asian. Damn. Not right. She is a submissive! 

 

They are so judgmental, and alot of it stems from the lack of self esteem that comes with total surrender of their femininity. They let go of the one thing that made them special in the first place. 

 

Glad it is not my problem! 

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

They seem to be highly resentful of a guy who is able to get with a far younger woman, without having to jump over very high hurdles. Not fair. Not right. Not good. Why? Is he worth hundreds of millions? Oh. She is Asian. Damn. Not right. She is a submissive! 

More to do with devaluing the product they are selling.

Nobody would buy old soft apples if they were offered fresh crisp apples.

[Grecian]

Old but self sufficient a good life can be had many places where the welfare state hasn't robbed you of your value.

 

Old, self sufficient and able to provide for others (long term of short term) and it's incredible how good life can be if you aren't being robbed by the state to finance women who only show you contempt in return.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

More to do with devaluing the product they are selling.

Nobody would buy old soft apples if they were offered fresh crisp apples.

Love the analogy.

[Lacessit]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Never tell anyone in the west where you are, or what you're doing.

I'm enjoying my last years much more than I even anticipated.

Surprisingly, I'm enjoying them more than my younger years.

Thailand has been the best days of my life.

I don't really care, the male reaction is not-so-well hidden envy.

My only regret with Thailand is I did not come here sooner.

[jerrymahoney]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Never tell anyone in the west where you are, or what you're doing.

Tell who? I've been living now in Thailand for almost 20 years but, I had so little contact with most people stateside, that a lot of them don't even know that I'm gone.

[Lacessit]

8 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand is an excellent choice for those of us who are getting up there in years. As long as you have money, or a good pension or income. The quality of life is quite good here, things are still quite reasonable, labor is inexpensive, and even at 60 or 70, you can find a relationship with a pretty, charming woman who is quite a bit younger. In the US, you need to be a centimillionaire to do that. 

 

For those of us who do not own property back in our home countries, Thailand is a great option. For the same home I rent here, I would have to pay $3,500 a month in many larger cities in the US. That is 120,000 baht a month, which represents the very definition of insanity, and an economy that is out of control. A bag of groceries back there is $100 and up. Anything labor related is out of control.

 

Health care? Even without insurance here it is affordable. I visit the emergency room here to visit a specialist, and with x-rays I am out the door for 2000 baht, at a private hospital. In the US? $300-2000. An anecdote on this subject. A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1,400,000 baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote. In the interim, my friend called a good friend of his, in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, he knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back the next day, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon here got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1,400,000 at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at Vejthani Hospital, and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon. VS. 31,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery!

It does pay to shop around.

I've had two warts removed from my head, no comments about the one on my shoulders, please.

The first was in Chiang Mai at a well-known private hospital, 9000 baht, although that did include pathology.

The second was at a skin clinic in Chiang Rai, 500 baht.

[Pmbkk]

 

Go live in Greece/Spain/Portugal where the standard of living is good and they treat their old folk well.

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

On 5/9/2022 at 3:50 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

What might be the worst country for you, an old man.

one with stairs... 

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Nobody would buy old soft apples if they were offered fresh crisp apples.

Do these apples have personalities and can talk?

[GammaGlobulin]

13 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

I think Thailand is a great country for the 50 something year old man.

 

But get into your 60's and thing start to change.

 

We all think we're immortal, but stuff starts to happen.

 

You'll see your medical insurance go exponential as you move through your 60's and into your 70's, if that is you can actually get insurance.

 

In the West, even in the US with our f****cked up health insurance system, get to 65 and you get security through Medicare.

 

The kind of opposite happens in Thailand where health insecurity gets worse as you age.

 

So for me at least. Enjoy the fun times in Thailand, but then go home to sit out the inevitable

While I understand the complete logic of your thinking....

 

What about if you had enough money to hire a caregiver in Thailand, if and when you became ill or somewhat incapacitated?

 

Would it not be better, still, to remain in Thailand?

 

As of this moment, I am not yet overly demented.  However, if I were, I do know of at least one facility in Thailand which might care for me with kindness, if and when the dementia sets in, inevitable or not.

[jerrymahoney]

18 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand is an excellent choice for those of us who are getting up there in years. As long as you have money, or a good pension or income. The quality of life is quite good here, things are still quite reasonable, labor is inexpensive, and even at 60 or 70, you can find a relationship with a pretty, charming woman who is quite a bit younger. In the US, you need to be a centimillionaire to do that. 

 

For those of us who do not own property back in our home countries, Thailand is a great option. For the same home I rent here, I would have to pay $3,500 a month in many larger cities in the US. That is 120,000 baht a month, which represents the very definition of insanity, and an economy that is out of control. A bag of groceries back there is $100 and up. Anything labor related is out of control.

 

Health care? Even without insurance here it is affordable. I visit the emergency room here to visit a specialist, and with x-rays I am out the door for 2000 baht, at a private hospital. In the US? $300-2000. An anecdote on this subject. A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1,400,000 baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote. In the interim, my friend called a good friend of his, in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, he knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back the next day, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon here got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1,400,000 at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at Vejthani Hospital, and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon. VS. 31,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery!

Sure but the prices have probably changed when you first posted this copy & paste from DEC 2020

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1198672-what-do-you-love-about-thailand/page/5/

 

[jerrymahoney]

21 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

In the West, even in the US with our f****cked up health insurance system, get to 65 and you get security through Medicare.

But at least with the US Medicare, unlike some other countries, you can return any time for Part A treatment regardless of how long you have been ex-country with no penalty -- and for some cases no penalty for Part B. That presumes you have been stabilized as a prerequisite to travel.

[GammaGlobulin]

Maybe, no matter what, the lesson is to never become complacent, and always try never to complain, as long as you still have a good thing going, in Thailand.

 

Never complain, is a good motto, maybe.

[spidermike007]

19 hours ago, BritManToo said:

More to do with devaluing the product they are selling.

Nobody would buy old soft apples if they were offered fresh crisp apples.

Especially applies to what is typically on offer there, for most guys over 50. Older, less attractive women, some of them quite out of shape. And they still think they are worth gold, silver, cars, houses, condos, and gifts and prizes. Compared to what is available here, there is absolutely no appeal. 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by spidermike007

[jerrymahoney]

Gee that girl in pink above is a real hot dancer. I wonder (ThRy's line) how many guys she would have besides you

[Lacessit]

15 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

While I understand the complete logic of your thinking....

 

What about if you had enough money to hire a caregiver in Thailand, if and when you became ill or somewhat incapacitated?

 

Would it not be better, still, to remain in Thailand?

 

As of this moment, I am not yet overly demented.  However, if I were, I do know of at least one facility in Thailand which might care for me with kindness, if and when the dementia sets in, inevitable or not.

There are different levels of caregiving for the unattached male or female.

 

Every year, nurses from government hospitals are compulsorily retired at age 45. The pension they get is meager, quite a few then take up caregiving, and are quite happy with 10-15K baht/month.

 

I understand there is an aged care facility south of Chiang Mai charging 45,000 baht/month for 24/7 care, which would be doable for most Western pensioners.

 

North of Chiang Mai, there is a Swiss-affiliated aged-care facility that costs 90,000 baht/month. I should imagine that is gold standard in terms of what residents get.

 

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on your statement you are not yet overly demented.

[Lacessit]

11 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Gee that girl in pink above is a real hot dancer. I wonder (ThRy's line) how many guys she would have besides you

I'm wondering how much silicone went into the frontispiece.

[jerrymahoney]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I'm wondering how much silicone went into the frontispiece.

Standard response. Next one will be she's a he.