Thailand popular with Japanese retirees but many end up dying alone

[webfact]

Thailand popular with Japanese retirees but many end up dying alone
KYODO

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND – In a slum in the outskirts of the Thai city of Chiang Mai, where trash and abandoned cars litter the streets, an 81-year-old Japanese man died of cancer in February.

“I want to go back to Japan. I miss Japan,” the man had said on his deathbed at home.

His siblings refused to take his remains, prompting his Thai girlfriend, who had been living with him, to scatter them in a river nearby.

With prices relatively cheap, Thailand is a popular destination for Japanese retirees who want to move overseas. But at the same time, a growing number of elderly Japanese are dying alone there.

Full story: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/22/national/social-issues/thailand-popular-japanese-retirees-many-end-dying-alone/

-- JAPAN TIMES 2016-05-23

[plachon]

I don't think this sad tale applies to Japanese retirees only. Many Brits and Westerners end up in the same predicament. At least this old bloke had a "girlfriend", according to the story, so he wasn't totally alone. Those that are baht-less, lost touch with friends and relatives and "mai mee faen" are the really sad cases.

[ezzra]

If some developer will ever have enough of building condos and cheap Moo-bans, he can try to build

a retirement villages for selected nationalities with medical and nursing staff fro those counties

food cooked to their test and activities to suit, those places doesn't have to be in an expensive

places, any area that is near enough to a city with all the amenities and facelifts, but knowing

Thai developers, this will be too much to bring about, they prefer to stick to condos and cheap

housing estates.....

[nausea]

The Ghost of Xmas Yet To Come for many.

[harrycallahan]

How do they spend their remaining years, Thailand vs Japan?

[oxo1947]

I don't think this sad tale applies to Japanese retirees only. Many Brits and Westerners end up in the same predicament. At least this old bloke had a "girlfriend", according to the story, so he wasn't totally alone. Those that are baht-less, lost touch with friends and relatives and "mai mee faen" are the really sad cases.

Yes indeed plachon , people should remember that the Japanese people are just like us

............but with pixelated private parts.........................

[northernboy]

As if the western built retirements homes in Thailand are done of the poor expats.

Ezzra, let me know when you build your inexpensive, not for profit retirement home and I can find you many westerners you can help because they spent their retirement funds money on wine women and song. Through no fault of their own.

[little mary sunshine]

Several nice retirement homes in Thailand.

Very nice in Chiang Mai. Google!! You need

To have an income monthly, but it's not that

Expensive. Check them out, Pattaya has a

Retirement place too...(Note: if you threw all

Your money away on Booz and cheap women,

Hope you had a good time, You won't have

Enough money for these places)

[Sealbash]

If some developer will ever have enough of building condos and cheap Moo-bans, he can try to build

a retirement villages for selected nationalities with medical and nursing staff fro those counties

food cooked to their test and activities to suit, those places doesn't have to be in an expensive

places, any area that is near enough to a city with all the amenities and facelifts, but knowing

Thai developers, this will be too much to bring about, they prefer to stick to condos and cheap

housing estates.....

Foreigners come to Thailand and get themselves into difficult circumstances, and somehow this is the fault of Thai developers?

[Hayduke]

There may or may not be familiar faces around but ultimately, we all die alone.

[Emster23]

I would think dying alone of some age related illness preferable to dying with/due to Thai "wife" and her Thai hubby speeding me on my way, as has happened

[khunPer]

Sad story – unfortunately I've seen other nationalities than Japanese ending up nearly penny-less, abandoned and lonely here in LoS – hope I'll never end up like that...

[JDGRUEN]

How do they spend their remaining years, Thailand vs Japan

My guess is that a older Japanese man on a slim pension living in Japan would fare no better on average and perhaps worse in his home country. There would be little hope for companionship as companions in Japan - same as Western Countries - cost a lot to attract and keep. Looks like he had a housemate girl friend or something. Note: the siblings would not claim the remains.. .That tells a lot of the story.

This story would be much the same for older retired men from the U.S. on modest pensions. If you try to hang on to a little bit of your money for security - attracting a girlfriend and keeping one without being a spendthrift is a tough job. It is a lucky Farang in Thailand that has a woman who will not spend every baht he has and is also a good and consistent companion. Congratulations fellows.

I see it all the time - retirees throwing their money at companionship to the expense of sensible security in the near future ...

And I am not talking about a retiree needs to be or should be a cheap charlie. It is just a tough balancing act.

My friends and I have discussed the idea of an affordable retirement compound of bungalows ... and we may start one based on a profit model -- not a lot but just enough to make it interesting ...

[Lupatria]

[trogers]

Sad story unfortunately I've seen other nationalities than Japanese ending up nearly penny-less, abandoned and lonely here in LoS hope I'll never end up like that...

Would probably depends on the age of the foreigner when he first come for his long stay.

The younger the better, to give enough time to mature from puppy love...

[mike324]

If some developer will ever have enough of building condos and cheap Moo-bans, he can try to build

a retirement villages for selected nationalities with medical and nursing staff fro those counties

food cooked to their test and activities to suit, those places doesn't have to be in an expensive

places, any area that is near enough to a city with all the amenities and facelifts, but knowing

Thai developers, this will be too much to bring about, they prefer to stick to condos and cheap

housing estates.....

The owner of Nong Nooch Garden in Pattaya was planning on building retirement homes right by his garden...not sure if his plan went ahead yet.

Its a pretty good idea, big hospital nearby, nice garden for retirees to walk around, lots of tourist so they can watch people and enjoy the occasional Russian eye candy.

[dageurreotype]

Some years ago I'd read about the growing problem of the elderly Japanese increasingly turning to suicide as a they didn't want to be a burden on their families. An honour thing, you see. So, not quite the same as other nationalities.

[soalbundy]

There may or may not be familiar faces around but ultimately, we all die alone.

correct, the dying are the ones who die,the relatives watch. Dying, like sex, is a personal matter, i'm sure i would prefer to die alone.

[MyFriend You]

If some developer will ever have enough of building condos and cheap Moo-bans, he can try to build

a retirement villages for selected nationalities with medical and nursing staff fro those counties

food cooked to their test and activities to suit, those places doesn't have to be in an expensive

places, any area that is near enough to a city with all the amenities and facelifts, but knowing

Thai developers, this will be too much to bring about, they prefer to stick to condos and cheap

housing estates.....

Google is your best friend...........there are at least a dozen of these advertised in Chiang Mai, Bangkok & Pattaya

[Mudcrab]

Not surprised so many die alone.....rarely hear of tandem condo jumpers

[cpofc]

If some developer will ever have enough of building condos and cheap Moo-bans, he can try to build

a retirement villages for selected nationalities with medical and nursing staff fro those counties

food cooked to their test and activities to suit, those places doesn't have to be in an expensive

places, any area that is near enough to a city with all the amenities and facelifts, but knowing

Thai developers, this will be too much to bring about, they prefer to stick to condos and cheap

housing estates.....

I am unable to locate the article, but Sweden is struggling to keep up with its aged care costs. As I understand it Sweden has a system where cities/municipalities are responsible for their own elderly. The cost to them is getting to be troublesome. A few years ago they looked at the prospect of maintaining Aged Care Hostels in Thailand. It looks as though nothing came of it though.

In China aged care is becoming a growth industry.

The Japanese stats on their aging population is frightening. With the strictest immigration policies in the world, low birth rate, there will be no-one left in Japan by the end of this century.

I have an interest in this subject for my mother went into aged care just over a year ago. It is a sad thing to have to do really. God's waiting room.

It's a very lucrative industry though.

The Thai Idea makes a lot of sense to me. They have got virtually everything here they need.

Train up plenty of Thai nurses in elderly care, a lot I reckon would be 'naturals' for the job, Modern facilities, Warm weather. Good food. it would be a win win, for the Thais and for the farangs.

Look at the big scandals in England recently. You can't say in Thailand they could fare any worse.

I feel sorry for the Japanese bloke dying alone. It is a sad world at times.

[starky]

If some developer will ever have enough of building condos and cheap Moo-bans, he can try to build

a retirement villages for selected nationalities with medical and nursing staff fro those counties

food cooked to their test and activities to suit, those places doesn't have to be in an expensive

places, any area that is near enough to a city with all the amenities and facelifts, but knowing

Thai developers, this will be too much to bring about, they prefer to stick to condos and cheap

housing estates.....

Foreigners come to Thailand and get themselves into difficult circumstances, and somehow this is the fault of Thai developers?

Yes of course everything is the fault of the Thai's don't you get that. Oh, welcome to TVF

[oxo1947]

But at the same time, a growing number of elderly Japanese are dying alone there.---OP

Well he didn't die alone he had a Thai Girl friend who it seems thought more of him then his children in Japan.

With automatic credit of your pension to the bank---automatic deductions of electric /water / rates etc. There have been many people in the west that not only die alone---but are not even discovered to be dead for months on end. One pensioner I read about had been dead for nearly a year.

.

Now that is being alone......................