Brit orders final drink - then jumps from seventh floor of Bangkok hotel restaurant

[cyberfarang]

8 hours ago, GarryP said:

Your average westerner is not pulling in that amount of money in their home country. Let alone when retired. Proper insurance coverage should be sufficient.

I am talking about expat retirees, not short time tourists.

 

For the over 60s the private medical insurance premiums are astronomical, could reach up to 50000 baht a month (which I for one couldn`t afford) and many insurance companies won`t even take on over 65s, plus no longer being eligible for government subsidised or free medical care in our own countries once we are no longer resident in our home countries. So in-fact elderly retirees are caught up in medical limbo. This is a concern for me and probably for most other retirees in Thailand, that goes back to what I was saying; that there are no support systems for us here.

Edited June 7, 2017 by cyberfarang

[Odysseus123]

2 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

I am talking about expat retirees, not short time tourists.

 

For the over 60s the private medical insurance premiums are astronomical, could reach up to 50000 baht a month (which I for one couldn`t afford) and many insurance companies won`t even take on over 65s, plus no longer being eligible for government subsidised or free medical care in our own countries once we are no longer resident in our home countries. So in-fact elderly retirees are caught up in medical limbo. This is a concern for me and probably for most other retirees in Thailand, that goes back to what I was saying; that there are no support systems for us here.

Yes.Spot on.

It is a sort of kamikaze existence really, and was the subject of an interesting conversation with my 69 year old German pal today.

[bbi1]

25 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

I am talking about expat retirees, not short time tourists.

 

For the over 60s the private medical insurance premiums are astronomical, could reach up to 50000 baht a month (which I for one couldn`t afford) and many insurance companies won`t even take on over 65s, plus no longer being eligible for government subsidised or free medical care in our own countries once we are no longer resident in our home countries. So in-fact elderly retirees are caught up in medical limbo. This is a concern for me and probably for most other retirees in Thailand, that goes back to what I was saying; that there are no support systems for us here.

There's a lesson in that, don't cut ties with your home country & give up residency in your home country when you have benefits of free medical care available. That way you have a backup plan if you ever need it.

[newatthis]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Thanks. I will. My world has fallen apart in the past. A few times. And I did contemplate suicide. But, fortunately I was never weak enough to do it. I considered others and the impact it would have on them. I have friends who have a brother who took his life 20-30 years ago. They are still traumatized and scarred by their selfish prick brothers who never considered them, or the impact his dumb move was going to have on them.

And from personal experience I can say that people who are still traumatized and scarred over another person's suicide of 20-30 years ago are just thinking of ME ME ME, too.

[lagarto]

I hope one day we can have the option to go to a place  to die in peace and dignity. when that happens I can guarantee they wont be more suicides. It should be a right , not an option, at the date and time we choose. RIP my friend.

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts and offensive posts and the replies have been removed. 

[tropo]

6 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

I am talking about expat retirees, not short time tourists.

 

For the over 60s the private medical insurance premiums are astronomical, could reach up to 50000 baht a month (which I for one couldn`t afford) and many insurance companies won`t even take on over 65s, plus no longer being eligible for government subsidised or free medical care in our own countries once we are no longer resident in our home countries. So in-fact elderly retirees are caught up in medical limbo. This is a concern for me and probably for most other retirees in Thailand, that goes back to what I was saying; that there are no support systems for us here.

Well summed up. There's a lot of incentive for taking extra good care of yourself. If the going gets rough, there's always a tall building nearby.

Edited June 7, 2017 by tropo

[cyberfarang]

2 hours ago, tropo said:

Well summed up. There's a lot of incentive for taking extra good care of yourself. If the going gets rough, there's always a tall building nearby.

Probably what happened to the poor old chap in the OP. To put it another way; the options are extremely limited if fate s*its on us in Thailand.

[ftpjtm]

On 6/6/2017 at 10:20 PM, bbi1 said:

Why would it be Draconian to hold health insurance or have adequate funds to cover hospital bills? $200k really isn't that much for an elderly person to have. They've had 30 or 40+ years of working time to accumulate this amount, and also use those decades for investing. Just one investment property in the Western world could double in 10 years.

The Chonburi neighborhood I'm in is mainly populated by retired Westerners. I know most of them quite well and with the exception of 3 out of about 20, they don't come close to meeting that criteria. None have Thailand based insurance, only half have insurance from their home country which reimburses some medical expenses in Thailand. 

 

Lots of folks living dangerously here. 

Edited June 8, 2017 by ftpjtm

[ftpjtm]

On 6/6/2017 at 11:47 PM, spidermike007 said:

Suicide is perhaps the most selfish act a person can commit. OK, things are not working out. Deal with it. Be a man. Buck up. Get some meds, or some therapy. Talk to some friends. Whatever. The problem with suicide is the people left behind. Did this selfish freak consider them for a nanosecond? What about his kids? Or wife? Or friends and the rest of his family? What about the people at the restaurant? Did he ever consider the possibility that he could have taken out someone on the sidewalk with this foolishness? What a sorry fool. If you are going to do this kind of thing, you do it in privacy. Not in front of a crowd. What a fool. 

 

A very dear friend of mine took his life in his brothers room, a few years ago. I am still pissed at him. What a stupid thing to do. Granted, he was in a desperate situation. He had returned to the states, after 10 years in Thailand, a broke man, having to depend on his family for help. That is a sorry state. But still. You deal with it. You re-invent yourself. You get some medications (he was manic depressive). You do something. Taking your own life is such a sorry thing to do. Imagine the pain his brother and siblings had to deal with? No sympathy here.

What you are saying makes some sense, especially with regard to the method chosen by this particular person. 

 

But it does not apply to terminally ill persons. Taking some meds, talking with friends and therapy will not solve much for the terminally ill. 

 

Having watched my father suffer with terminal cancer, and ultimately chose euthanasia as a way to stop his suffering (he was lucky enough to have that as a legal option) I fully understood and respected his decision, as did the rest of the family. 

 

Suicide is a selfish act for a healthy person, euthanasia is a humane service for a terminally ill patient. 

 

And the OP mentions that the person we are discussing had some health issues. 

Edited June 8, 2017 by ftpjtm

[bbi1]

30 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

The Chonburi neighborhood I'm in is mainly populated by retired Westerners. I know most of them quite well and with the exception of 3 out of about 20, they don't come close to meeting that criteria. None have Thailand based insurance, although about half have insurance from their home country which reimburses at least some medical expenses in Thailand. 

 

Lots of folks living dangerously here. 

Yes, living very dangerously indeed.

 

Instead of the Thai Gov just focusing on "quality tourists" only they should also focus on "quality retirees" too who actually have some cash or assets behind themselves so they can afford medical bills if needed and spend money in the country. Makes you wonder what they've been doing all their lives for a Westerner not to be even able to save up $200k in cash or stocks or equity in real estate or a combination of all of these. What have they been doing for their last 30+ years of their lives? If lots of Westerners in their 30's can do it, or even do it in their 20's, surely Westerners double or more of their age should have more to their name than someone half their age.

Edited June 8, 2017 by bbi1

[anto]

13 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Yes, living very dangerously indeed.

 

Instead of the Thai Gov just focusing on "quality tourists" only they should also focus on "quality retirees" too who actually have some cash or assets behind themselves so they can afford medical bills if needed and spend money in the country. Makes you wonder what they've been doing all their lives for a Westerner not to be even able to save up $200k in cash or stocks or equity in real estate or a combination of all of these. What have they been doing for their last 30+ years of their lives? If lots of Westerners in their 30's can do it, or even do it in their 20's, surely Westerners double or more of their age should have more to their name than someone half their age.

Lots of reasons why people end up old without money .Too many reasons to recite here.Things are not as simple as you laid out .Really glad your so well off yourself though ;-) .

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

What you are saying makes some sense, especially with regard to the method chosen by this particular person. 

 

But it does not apply to terminally ill persons. Taking some meds, talking with friends and therapy will not solve much for the terminally ill. 

 

Having watched my father suffer with terminal cancer, and ultimately chose euthanasia as a way to stop his suffering (he was lucky enough to have that as a legal option) I fully understood and respected his decision, as did the rest of the family. 

 

Suicide is a selfish act for a healthy person, euthanasia is a humane service for a terminally ill patient. 

 

And the OP mentions that the person we are discussing had some health issues. 

 

I completely agree. If he was terminally ill, or in chronic long term pain, that is a whole different story, and it is totally justified. I would still take exception to the way he went about achieving the result. Very undignified. 

[tropo]

3 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Yes, living very dangerously indeed.

 

Instead of the Thai Gov just focusing on "quality tourists" only they should also focus on "quality retirees" too who actually have some cash or assets behind themselves so they can afford medical bills if needed and spend money in the country. Makes you wonder what they've been doing all their lives for a Westerner not to be even able to save up $200k in cash or stocks or equity in real estate or a combination of all of these. What have they been doing for their last 30+ years of their lives? If lots of Westerners in their 30's can do it, or even do it in their 20's, surely Westerners double or more of their age should have more to their name than someone half their age.

My Goodness... turning a tragic suicide into a discussion about retirement economics.

 

The average person these days is in debt. Stop trying to irritate/upset people who don't meet your economic standards or expectations.

[tropo]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

 

I completely agree. If he was terminally ill, or in chronic long term pain, that is a whole different story, and it is totally justified. I would still take exception to the way he went about achieving the result. Very undignified. 

Yes, it would have been horrifying for his daughter to view his mangled corpse. The rest of us can stop stressing about it. It is not such a big deal for Thai people to see. They don't freak out as easily as most Westerners.

[binjalin]

2 minutes ago, tropo said:

Yes, it would have been horrifying for his daughter to view his mangled corpse. The rest of us can stop stressing about it. It is not such a big deal for Thai people to see. They don't freak out as easily as most Westerners.

yea coz they don't care as much (about anything)

[tropo]

Just now, binjalin said:

yea coz they don't care as much (about anything)

There's no need to twist it that way. Westerners tend to be too soft and sensitive.

[binjalin]

11 minutes ago, tropo said:

There's no need to twist it that way. Westerners tend to be too soft and sensitive.

No twist intended, and it's a generalization, but westerners care more just look at the dogs on the street. The abandoned girls with babies etc. It's not about being too 'soft and sensitive' it's about being more, generally, educated and 'empathetic'.

[tropo]

28 minutes ago, binjalin said:

No twist intended, and it's a generalization, but westerners care more just look at the dogs on the street. The abandoned girls with babies etc. It's not about being too 'soft and sensitive' it's about being more, generally, educated and 'empathetic'.

I disagree. It's from being too shielded (protected) from reality.

 

Edited June 8, 2017 by tropo

[ftpjtm]

6 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Yes, living very dangerously indeed.

 

Instead of the Thai Gov just focusing on "quality tourists" only they should also focus on "quality retirees" too who actually have some cash or assets behind themselves so they can afford medical bills if needed and spend money in the country. Makes you wonder what they've been doing all their lives for a Westerner not to be even able to save up $200k in cash or stocks or equity in real estate or a combination of all of these. What have they been doing for their last 30+ years of their lives? If lots of Westerners in their 30's can do it, or even do it in their 20's, surely Westerners double or more of their age should have more to their name than someone half their age.

What have they been doing the last 30 years of their life? I suppose quite a few of them have been cashing in all of their retirement assets to pay off obligations to divorce attorneys and ex spouses. 

 

As far as the Thai government going after those not able to afford western medical care in Thailand, perhaps they should first concern themselves with providing better medical care to Thais. Seems to me that even the westerners living hand to mouth on pension checks manage to find a way to get better medical care than the average Thai. 

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, ftpjtm said:

What have they been doing the last 30 years of their life? I suppose quite a few of them have been cashing in all of their retirement assets to pay off obligations to divorce attorneys and ex spouses. 

 

As far as the Thai government going after those not able to afford western medical care in Thailand, perhaps they should first concern themselves with providing better medical care to Thais. Seems to me that even the westerners living hand to mouth on pension checks manage to find a way to get better medical care than the average Thai. 

Seems to me that even the westerners living hand to mouth on pension checks manage to find a way to get better medical care than the average Thai. 

What way is that?

[douglasspade]

This is heartbreaking. I had always thought if I can not take it anymore to paddle out on my surfboard when a storm hits my hometown, and keep paddling until I fade into the depths. 

 

Seems to me more foreigners die in Thailand than in other countries.

[DogNo1]

In the USA, Admiral Chester Nimitz and his wife committed suicide when they felt that their lives were not worth living.  All of these posters who are outraged that this man committed suicide should think again.  Suicide can be an honorable exit.

[balo]

8 minutes ago, DogNo1 said:

Admiral Chester Nimitz and his wife committed suicide

So did Hitler when he could not win the war. 

 

[ftpjtm]

29 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Seems to me that even the westerners living hand to mouth on pension checks manage to find a way to get better medical care than the average Thai. 

What way is that?

Not sure. Beg/borrow/steal I suppose. 

[giddyup]

Just now, ftpjtm said:

Not sure. Beg/borrow/steal I suppose. 

If you're not sure, why do you say that they manage to get better health care than a Thai? A private hospital won't release you until they have your money, public you still have to pay.

[ftpjtm]

4 minutes ago, giddyup said:

If you're not sure, why do you say that they manage to get better health care than a Thai? A private hospital won't release you until they have your money, public you still have to pay.

Because when our neighborhood had an outbreak of Dengue Fever, they somehow managed to get better health care than the Thais, at the better hospitals. 

[giddyup]

Just now, ftpjtm said:

Because when our neighborhood had an outbreak of Dengue Fever, they somehow managed to get better health care than the Thais, at the better hospitals. 

Maybe they could afford it. Never heard of a falang getting any kind of preferential medical treatment unless they can pay. Maybe Dengue fever was a public health issue and falangs were treated because they tend to travel more.

[ftpjtm]

9 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Maybe they could afford it. Never heard of a falang getting any kind of preferential medical treatment unless they can pay. Maybe Dengue fever was a public health issue and falangs were treated because they tend to travel more.

Or perhaps they borrowed the money. I'm really not sure, but what surprised me most is that the Thai neighbor, who nearly died of it and does well enough in the Thai Navy to afford a house in a predominately farang neighborhood, got really crappy care in comparison to the farangs. He was sent to the worst hospital in the area and only sent to the second worst after his situation deteriorated severely at the worst. 

Edited June 8, 2017 by ftpjtm

[Catkiwi]

1 hour ago, DogNo1 said:

In the USA, Admiral Chester Nimitz and his wife committed suicide when they felt that their lives were not worth living.  All of these posters who are outraged that this man committed suicide should think again.  Suicide can be an honorable exit.

Agreed but there was nothing honorable about spreading himself all over the side walk in front of the general public was there? Surely some one who makes the ultimate decision to end there own life could at least give some consideration to those who want to carry on living. Without some grotesque image that they will probably never forget.