Articles

Families may opt for Care Services Abroad

11/08/2016

Making the decision to send a family member to a care home away from there own home is a very difficult decision for anyone to make. How would you feel if the care home you had selected is in another country?

We know of a lady who has recently placed her mother in a care home in Thailand. While this might seem an unlikely choice, there are many pros to this situation. Her mother has dementia and suffers with memory loss. Not only are the costs significantly lower in Thailand than in her own country, but she is convinced that her mother will receive better care there. She speaks to her mother on most days and visits as often as she can, which is pretty much what she would be doing in her own country.

As more people are living longer, healthcare demands for the elderly will increase. It is estimated that by 2050 more than 390 million people will be older than 80 years old. Inevitably, good residential home care will be unaffordable for many people. The cost of care homes in Switzerland will probably be between £3000 and £6000 a month, while the same care home in Thailand would be £2000 or less per month.

The average cost for even the most basic care in a residential home in the UK is approximately £2,200 per month. It is over £3000 per month when any medical care is added. Residential Care homes in the UK have received so much bad publicity lately and often most of this is justified. A care home in Thailand does not have this problem because of the high standard of ethics there when taking care of older people. There is also a better ratio of patient to staff.

Even though relatives of older people often feel guilty at needing a care home, often this is not a choice that they have, especially when the distance between family members is so great and the older person needs medical assistance. Although it is a huge step to relocate your parents to a foreign country, this might become an option for many of us in the future.