Is Thailand really a good place to be in if REALLY old ?

[KhnomKhnom]

I am going to assert that Thailand is not a great place to be in if a foreigner and if really old and partially or totally infirm.

Negatives:

-Difficult to get around, no curb breaks for wheel chairs, few lifts, few signs to lifts if there. Bad sidewalks in cities.

-Almost no SkyTrain access and few stair assists; climbing SkyTrain stairs is very daunting.

-Tiny taxi doors and trunk/boots for chair or walker.

-Long wait for ambulance.

-Ambulance can not move through traffic; Thai drivers just sit there.

-No English in smaller hospitals and clinics.

-No ordinary Thai knows what the English word HOSPITAL or DOCTOR means, especially not taxi drivers.

-Few nursing homes or long term care facilities.

-Impossible to get health insurance and also not get home nation's health cost assistance while in Thailand.

-Can be plagued by home remedies and distrust of Western medicines by relatives.

-Old can be victimized by family, especially kept alive on machines to collect assistance, or money taken.

-Doctors and family can tend to be dismissive of real pains/problems with idea that patient will be dead soon anyway.

-Violent dementia patients are big problem/big bodies for small Thai persons also not understanding what is going on.

-Thai will not question authority of doctors nor press for better treatments.

-Just try to use Thai toilets in wheelchair or even with a walker or cane.

-add yours ...............

Positives:

-Thai respect and try to help old people on street and at home.

-Thai have loyalty to sick old person in the household and provide good home care.

-CPR training is available in Thai language, but very few take training, even if primary care giver.

-Can drive car even if not legal unless bedridden.

-Big cities have varied home delivery of foods and products called in by phone, but use Thai.

-Lower cost international standard doctors and hospitals are abundant in Thailand.

-add yours..............

In a balanced and loving family, the old person can receive overall superior care IF the family wants to do that, and it seems they usually do. Being cared for by a truly loving caregiver is the best, but can be very wearing on the caregiver. In this way, Thailand is a good place to be really old, but there are lots of other, really negative aspects to worry about.

[Issangeorge]

A friend of mine lived on Koh Samui for a couple of years. He was confined to an electric wheelchair, he had a great time. He monitored that thing into town (8km) away, stopped for lunch and plugged his chair in to recharge it. He would take it to the beach. He hired a young lady to look after him. He was on a limited disability Australian pension, and lived far better in Thailand than he could in Australia.

[balo]

If you have the money Thailand is better in many ways, you can pay for someone to take care of you until the end . And it doesnt cost you a fortune.

In Europe that would be impossible and you would end up alone and nobody cares if you die or live.

[Sheryl]

The biggest problem is health care costs, for people who are not insured. It is possible to have insurance as an older person but only if one obtained the coverage at a younger age and kept up the premiums. Some people just fail to think ahead, others were previously living in a country with national health system and were already past insurable age when they moved here.

Of course if really wealthy, not an issue, but many people retire here because their pensions and savings aren't all that large to begin with.

[cooked]

The OP seems to be talking about life in Bangkok, not Thailand in general. I see in this village and the next, people in wheelchairs getting about and sitting around. Things aren't perfect anywhere when you get really old but I look forward with equanimity to getting really old near Buriram where I live . If I didn't have a caring family near me I would be making escape plans. (I have some anyway).

As Sheryl has mentioned, health care costs are the biggest problems here, you won't necessarily be able to get back to your home country to get care. If you have grown up in a welfare state or well insured coming here can oblige you to rethink about things. My question to myself: die here with a loving family to look after me or die in a sterile hospital in Switzerland with two hours visiting allowed a day? To be honest, the fact that palliative care here doesn't involve the use of morphine very much does affect my way of thinking.

[Deli]

NO

[how241]

If you have the money Thailand is better in many ways, you can pay for someone to take care of you until the end . And it doesnt cost you a fortune.

In Europe that would be impossible and you would end up alone and nobody cares if you die or live.

+1...Agree, even for small money you can hire someone to look after you. That is almost impossible in the USA.

[robertson468]

I have to say that Thailand and a caring Family with probably hiring someone to assist my Family to "hump and dump" me about the place beats a cold, miserable UK and a not so good NHS. Soon I will no longer be insurable for medical treatment, but am building up a war chest for any ailments, I am also very fortunate that a very dear and close Thai Neice is due to qualify as a Doctor in the not too distant future who will have plenty of "connections" to help me get buy. If the worse comes to the worse and eventually whatever might become terminal, I think voluntary euthanasia will be the order of the day - a couple of bottles of wine and something very sleepy and it will be goodnight Vienna.

[Suradit69]

Yes, you can't beat Farang Land when it comes to making the Golden Years something special.

"Shuffleboard anyone?? Strip poker?? A beer??"

I'd still rather spend my relatively active retirement years in Thailand and if things go really pear-shaped eventually I would prefer to be left to die at home in my own bed in Thailand. I don't want to be put in a Farang style warehouse for the dying or left in a dreary hospital bed hooked up to machines and ignored most of the day.

"The fun just never ends here in solitary confinement"

Edited October 20, 2014 by Suradit69

[Borzandy]

Positives:

-Thai respect and try to help old people on street and at home. NO, Thai respect ans care only family members.

-Thai have loyalty to sick old person in the household and provide good home care. Only if they can get money.

-CPR training is available in Thai language, but very few take training, even if primary care giver. Is it positive ??

-Can drive car even if not legal unless bedridden. This is why roads in Thailand are the most dangerous in the world.

-Big cities have varied home delivery of foods and products called in by phone, but use Thai. Everywhere in the world, but they don't use Thai.

-Lower cost international standard doctors and hospitals are abundant in Thailand. Lower competences...

-add yours..............

[soalbundy]

Nowhere is really good if you are old and incapacitated

[jdinasia]

If I live long enough to get really old this is where I want to do it.

Language is not a barrier for me.

I have insurance.

A live-in nurse is cheap.

I have a Thai extended family.

The house is single level.

The car has a large trunk.

I am 10 minutes from a good hospital and 20 mins from a regional medical center.

Hmmmm sick and needing nursing care in the West Vs here?

A no brainer...

[transam]

If I live long enough to get really old this is where I want to do it.

Language is not a barrier for me.

I have insurance.

A live-in nurse is cheap.

I have a Thai extended family.

The house is single level.

The car has a large trunk.

I am 10 minutes from a good hospital and 20 mins from a regional medical center.

Hmmmm sick and needing nursing care in the West Vs here?

A no brainer...

You live in the UK then...........

[jmccarty]

Better to have a REALLY big bank account and a trusted family member or lawyer that has an obligation to make sure you are safe also. If you have a guardian angel, would be best, but don't go believing there are any!

[jdinasia]

If I live long enough to get really old this is where I want to do it.

Language is not a barrier for me.

I have insurance.

A live-in nurse is cheap.

I have a Thai extended family.

The house is single level.

The car has a large trunk.

I am 10 minutes from a good hospital and 20 mins from a regional medical center.

Hmmmm sick and needing nursing care in the West Vs here?

A no brainer...

You live in the UK then...........

LOL

..

That is not a place I even enjoy visiting...

[enufsaid]

True story, chap "married " Thai woman, chap gets sick & is old, wife visits for few weeks then makes excuses . Man is then shipped from hospital to hospital so they all get a share of the insurance. It took son 9 months to find his father & a lot of threats to hospital & airway if they didn't release him to travel home to Australia accompanied by Dr. The state of his body was appalling, . Lucky his son is wealthy & cud afford the trip home.

[seancbk]

I am going to assert that Thailand is not a great place to be in if a foreigner and if really old and partially or totally infirm.

Define 'Really old' if you mean someone who is so old they can't get around then some of your negatives below are irrelevant.

Negatives:

-Almost no SkyTrain access and few stair assists; climbing SkyTrain stairs is very daunting.

Many (maybe even all) Skytrain stations have lifts to the platform from the street (with easy wheelchair ramp access) and then lifts to the platform. The staff are always ready to give assistance to any passenger.

-Tiny taxi doors and trunk/boots for chair or walker.

There are special large Taxis available. A person with a wheelchair or who needs bigger doors etc could easily keep a list of numbers for these drivers and arrange pickups. There is also Uber (private taxi service) available in Bangkok.

-Long wait for ambulance.

If it was an emergency, then call one of the taxis you have on call or use Uber. Waiting for an Ambulance might be an issue.

-Ambulance can not move through traffic; Thai drivers just sit there.

Not true. If it is an emergency they are very adept at getting through and taking alternative routes.

-No English in smaller hospitals and clinics.

-No ordinary Thai knows what the English word HOSPITAL or DOCTOR means, especially not taxi drivers.

If you live here then learn how to say things the way a Thai would understand. Hospital becomes HOPITAOW and doctor Try DOT DTOR. That should work.

-Few nursing homes or long term care facilities.

Not sure about this. Could be a good business to setup!

-Impossible to get health insurance and also not get home nation's health cost assistance while in Thailand.

Why wouldn't you have health insurance from your home country before you got too old to apply?

-Can be plagued by home remedies and distrust of Western medicines by relatives.

The person has foreign (Thai) relatives?? I thought we were talking about a single old bloke living on his own in Bangkok.

-Old can be victimized by family, especially kept alive on machines to collect assistance, or money taken.

What sort of family have you married into!!

-Doctors and family can tend to be dismissive of real pains/problems with idea that patient will be dead soon anyway.

What sort of Doctors have you seen in Thailand!!

-Just try to use Thai toilets in wheelchair or even with a walker or cane.

What sort of toilets do you think we have in Bangkok? Every one I've seen is a fully Western one and all shopping malls and hotels have disabled toilets with hand rails etc.

You have some very odd ideas about life in Bangkok (even Thailand)

[transam]

If I live long enough to get really old this is where I want to do it.

Language is not a barrier for me.

I have insurance.

A live-in nurse is cheap.

I have a Thai extended family.

The house is single level.

The car has a large trunk.

I am 10 minutes from a good hospital and 20 mins from a regional medical center.

Hmmmm sick and needing nursing care in the West Vs here?

A no brainer...

You live in the UK then...........

LOL

..

That is not a place I even enjoy visiting...

BUT, if you have a medical problem in the UK an ambulance will get to you within 14 minutes with a guy/gal on board to keep you alive, in some cases a helicopter is on standby to do the job anywhere in the UK. Information from these rides are transmitted to the receiving hospital to keep you alive. Consultants in every field are in attendance or available to keep you alive.....

But you rely on a pickup to be chucked in..................

[jdinasia]

I do? Wow!! I thought I relied on an ambulance less than 1.2 miles away!

Geeeze I better change my mind set! Oh.. Nope the ambulance really is much closer (and free)

As I am not qualified to get Nih help free... I think I will stay in a place I love and pass on the UK

[Krataiboy]

Thailand - the best nursing home in the world, with cheap food and drink, wall-to-wall sunshine and lots of lovely young carers who, for a small consideration, will do anything to make you happy.

What more could a miserable old bugger want?

[mrfaroukh]

The question should not be if Thailand is a good place but what is your choice in your home land.

1. Will your family take care of you when you can not move, buy your food, cook for you etc etc
2. Do you have enough money to be in private home age institute to be taken care of properly or you to go to the government institute that may not even change you dipper the entire day because they just don't feel like doing it?
3. Do you live in a cold country where the road is icy most of the year or raining all the time. Can you go out at all?
4. Do you have enough money to eat out or have someone to help you in the house?
5. Can you clean your own home or need a help. Do u have money for it?

There are so many more if if if if in your own country. So I guess you will be better off in Thailand and you can get insurance here too, but since you may be too old then you have to pay more for it.

[stevehaigh]

not everyone speaking English is an easy fix, learn Thai, it is their country

[KhnomKhnom]

Comments

#2, 8km in motor wheel chair in traffic or where?; what if chair breaks; where does he pee; it must be a tank if can manage sand; was he ever robbed; what happens when his hired woman runs off with her boyfriend or brings him in to live…. Some questions, but I hope the guy succeeds.

#4, Health care in Thailand is a bargain, yes, but one Big Operation will wipe you out if not really careful.

#5, Does wheelchair work in loose dirt in a country path? Will you be aware enough to start your escape plan? WHAT, no morphine!

#10, My gray hair and cane get me lots of help with doors, etc, from strangers here. Some are motivated only by money, sad but true. I doubt a dozen geezers behind the wheel at any one time cause the highway wholesale slaughter now days.

I see “take out” food offered for delivery to homes in BKK, and there is that new service ads here, delivers products, too, I guess. All ordered by telephone but do you speak Thai? I read doctors’ walls looking for diplomas from USA teaching. Bumrungrad has resumes of their doctors on line.

#16,Saved by son, sad story but happens.

#17, Various stages of “really old.” Good news about elevators in SkyTrain; I never saw a one and no signs either. You can die waiting for a larger taxi.

Everyone except you has sat in stopped traffic with the ambulance blaring behind and NO ONE moving…. I see that every road trip I make. Ok, I guess a person could mumble hospittsal or something while holding broken leg, geeze.

My own family is none of your beeswax, Sean, but what I cite I have seen happen.

Ok, you are waddling along on sidewalk in a larger city and suddenly need “the facilities” fast… all you have to do is hold it, go eight or ten blocks, stumble into a hotel, or wheel, and dive for their toilet…….. sure, can be an easy trip any day. I have been in hotel toilets where me standing up had a problem fitting inside it.

Get real.

[NativeSon360]

The answer is: NO! Don't do it!

[Robert24]

I agree with some points the Op makes, some not. To be honest healthcare here is relatively affordable and quality quite good. Doctors all speak English (I never came across a Thai doctor that couldn't speak English) and if you live here longer you can speak some Thai as well and would know the words for hospital and doctor etc.

So what's the better alternative to Thailand? Stay in the UK, Europe, Australia or the US? Singapore? Japan? Not sure. The few times I visited a nursing home in Europe I came across many elderly that were lonely. Family members maybe visit once every 2-3 months. Maybe care in those nursing homes is alright but you tend to be lonely. At least here family takes care of you at home and respect you as an elderly person.Life overall I think is still better here even when getting very old.

[smotherb]

Nowhere is really good if you are old and incapacitated

Exactly, and if you want a quick exit, where is easier?

[Old Croc]

http://www.retirement-home-thailand.com/index.php

[ggt]

I have done volunteer work in places where the elderly are sent to die in the US...it is not a pretty picture...

While I am sure there are exceptions...in all the places I have been...the smell is that of an unclean bathroom mixed with an smelly cleanser...

So depressing...many get few if any visitors...and starving for a little attention...

I have told my children...under NO circumstances will I go to a nursing home to die...

When I can no longer take care of myself...or afford to hire someone to help...it is time to go anyway...

[thailiketoo]

I have done volunteer work in places where the elderly are sent to die in the US...it is not a pretty picture...

While I am sure there are exceptions...in all the places I have been...the smell is that of an unclean bathroom mixed with an smelly cleanser...

So depressing...many get few if any visitors...and starving for a little attention...

I have told my children...under NO circumstances will I go to a nursing home to die...

When I can no longer take care of myself...or afford to hire someone to help...it is time to go anyway...

Agree with that. Old folks homes in the West smell like urine. What is the standard of care? Who are the people who do don't mind smelling urine and feces all day long? Some are dedicated individuals some are minimum wage not so dedicated people. $10.19 cents an hour. It would help if you spoke Spanish.

[ericjt]

Come on, guys, this is an easy one.

If you have enough money to hire a good, caring, full time, live-in helper in your old country and maintain a good standard of living there, then *maybe* you're rich enough that Thailand is not the best place to live when you are getting REALLY old. Maybe.

But for the rest of us, aside from a family ethic here in Thailand that calls for taking care of old members of the family, it's also possible to hire a good, caring, full time, live-in helper for a fraction of what it would cost at home. And you can list off all the other institutional "benefits" of being taken care of in your home country, but no institutional solution comes even close to what's available here in Thailand from a full time live in helper, who speaks at least some English or other language you can understand.

One caveat -- when you're REALLY old and sick and weak and helpless, at least two natural laws (natural selection and survival of the fittest) are working against you. So it's also going to take some luck and/or a very caring and devoted family if you're going to get good care when you're getting REALLY old -- whether you're in Thailand or someplace else.