Hiring Someone To Look After An Elderly Person

[coralia]

What would be the costs of hiring someone to look after an elderly foreign lady (who is beginning to have trouble walking) for a few hours a day?

Many thanks for any advice or information.

[Sheryl]

It is going to depend very much on:

-where you are located

- skill level desired (i.e,. just anyone, or a nurses' aid, or what)

- whether English speaking required (will up the cost considerably and be harder to find)

- whether you want to do a private hire (in which case you have to locate the person yourself or through word of mouth) or go through a hospital. The latter will be much more costly but has the advantage that(1) they locate the person for you and (2) they can replace the individual if not to your liking

[MisterMan]

Where are you? In phuket there is a service that does this

Phuket Babysitting

http://www.phuketbabysitting.com

(also for care for the elderly, injured and ill).

My friend used them for his father and they were very happy with the service.

Edited November 20, 2010 by MisterMan

[coralia]

Many thanks to both of you, but you haven't given me any indication about prices...

I'm not sure about the location yet: it could be either Jomtien or Chiang Mai, as I am considering buying a small condo in one of these places. But I haven't made a final decision yet.

I don't think I would need a nurse at this stage, but rather something like a domestic helper who could spend a couple of hours with the elderly lady every day, help with the shopping, that sort of thing. Minimal English would be sufficient, as the lady I am speaking about hardly knows any English herself... She doesn't seem to have any serious disease (we haven't found any yet), but rather an assortment of minor ailments, plus some problems with walking and keeping her balance (for which we haven't found any cause yet... though I would suspect it's due to a life-long lack of exercise...). So I can't see the point of paying for a professional nurse.

Well, those are about all the details I can give right now... Hopefully someone can give me some indication of prices. This could help me make a decision whether we should move to Thailand at all!!

[Sheryl]

We haven't given an indication about price because we needed that info!

The "minimal English" bit is what will drive the price up. If you can manage with ordinary non-English speaking household help (which in turn means that you would need to learn at least basic Thai, but frankly you'll have to do that anyhow) then for just a few hours a day, in the locations mentioned I would say in the range of 3,000 - 5,000 baht (i.e,. around $100 - $200 US at current exchange rates). More if you go through an agency. There is one such in Chiang Mai, and it will provide staff with some English capacity (plus being an agency, easy to change if unsatisfied with a particular person) but will cost much more than a private arrangement. Contact them and ask just to get an idea http://www.centa-care.com/main.php

Your biggest financial problem though is not going to be household help/elder sitting, it is medical care. Costs of which have risen sharply in Thailand and are likely to keep doing so. As foreigners you are not entitled to free health care (unless you work for an employer that covers you under Thai social security or provides private insurance). The rest of you can probably get private insurance (and absolutely should, at least for hospitalization) but depending on how old the elderly family member is, may not be possible to get coverage for her. While she may not be ill now, she is quite likely to get ill at some point and that will be a problem.

[coralia]

Thanks, Sheryl. That's food for thought......... Of course it is a difficult decision to make. Life would be so much easier for us in Thailand... But I realize that health care costs could be a problem (the lady is 75).

Regarding the figures you mentioned: is it 3,000-5,000 Baht/MONTH?

[wolf5370]

You say she doesn't speak much English - is this because she is Thai (i.e. a National) or a non-English speaking Expat?

[Gladiator]

Thanks, Sheryl. That's food for thought......... Of course it is a difficult decision to make. Life would be so much easier for us in Thailand... But I realize that health care costs could be a problem (the lady is 75).

Regarding the figures you mentioned: is it 3,000-5,000 Baht/MONTH?

In the later years of my Mum's life - we had, from time to time one or two live-in Carers' from various agencies ( Chiang Mai). The average salary, paid to the agency, was 6000 Baht per month. I guess that the Carers got less than that once the agency took their commission. In addition the Carer(s) got board and lodging, plus OT for working days off. That may have increased by now. Some of the Agencies provided minimum training. Others did not.

You get what you pay for and there are 'Specialized Agencies' around who provide Carer's with full Medical Care Training. Some of the Carers were wonderful - others lacking.

Eventually Mum's health deriorated to the extent that she went in for Hospice style nursing at McKean's Hospital.

PM me i I can provide you with further information.

Gladiator

[Sheryl]

Thanks, Sheryl. That's food for thought......... Of course it is a difficult decision to make. Life would be so much easier for us in Thailand... But I realize that health care costs could be a problem (the lady is 75).

Regarding the figures you mentioned: is it 3,000-5,000 Baht/MONTH?

Yes, per month. More if you go through an agency. And be aware that cost of living in Thailand is rapidly rising, so this amount is likely to go up further.

At 75 you will not be able to get insurance for her. So you'll need to self insurance. I'd say a minimum of 1 million baht put aside and that's even if you utilize government hospitals (where no one will speak her language). That is just to cover serious illness requiring hospitalization. In addition you'll need to pay out of pocket for outpatient care and medication. And the rest of the family will also need to pay for health insurance unless able to obtain it through a job.

You could try posting in the insurance forum to see if there are any options for insuring a person of that age but I'm doubtful. Possibly if you sought only insurance for medical evacuation back home, or as part of a family package.

If you have any type of medical insurance back home, check into whether it is possibel ot continue it and if it would cover her abroad.

[coralia]

Thank you very much, Sheryl and Gladiator.

Just wondering, Sheryl... Why is the cost of medical care going up sharply in Thailand, and why do you think this trend will continue? I can see one reason (the exchange rate!!), but are there other factors involved?... This is an important subject, as so many people plan to retire in Thailand... I think it should be discussed further, to prevent some people from making the wrong decision.

[Bill212]

I know of a company which specializes in providing medical and nursing services for the elderly but whose services may extend to providing the kind of domestic help you require. They are also affiliated with a company which specializes in building apartments custom fitted with push button devices in both bedroom and bathroom which, when activated, initiate medical attention 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

www.ncmedgroup.com and www.wellnesscitycondotel.com are the relevant websites. I hope this information will be of some help to you.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

I know of a company which specializes in providing medical and nursing services for the elderly but whose services may extend to providing the kind of domestic help you require. They are also affiliated with a company which specializes in building apartments custom fitted with push button devices in both bedroom and bathroom which, when activated, initiate medical attention 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

www.ncmedgroup.com and www.wellnesscitycondotel.com are the relevant websites. I hope this information will be of some help to you.

And here's another one, but I'd bet they're pretty expensive. http://www.kronuscare.com/

Mac