Outsourcing elder care to India

[tangomonster]

I thought this was a unique approach to finding reasonable elder care four our parents or, someday, ourselves:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-outsource_bdjul29,1,5574498.story

Fortunately, I love Indian food and would much rather have a spicy chana masala than American nursing home crap!

 

[FinallyRetired]

Hey, now that's an interesting idea. $15 a day, as compared with nearly $300 a day for a nursing home where I live. If we get to the point where we can't care for aging parents, the alternative of living in in India for a few years is certainly better than the alternative of remaining here and going bankrupt. I wonder if there are other countries with similar costs for elder care?

 

[Arif]

While I am not sure there is a formal type nursing care center here in Panama. I know of a few people that have live in help that cooks for them, makes sure they take their meds, and runs errands for them. Figuring that the pay would be similar to a maid it would probably cost about $150-200 per month for that type of help.
I would think that Mexico would also be a good or at least closer option than India or even Panama for that matter.

 

[bssc]

My parents spent 30 years overseas, including 2 years in Sri Lanka. If they really wanted to do this they could, however, the government takes good care of them here.

 

[chinaco]

...
I would think that Mexico would also be a good or at least closer option than India or even Panama for that matter.

Heck you can get even closer than that. There are 12 mm illegal aliens in the US. Hire one to stay in the home.

 

[whitestick]

Heck you can get even closer than that. There are 12 mm illegal aliens in the US. Hire one to stay in the home.

Problem is that since they don't speak English, you'd have to either teach the elderly to speak non-English, or make up signs for all over the house in the appropriate illegal alien language. Hopefully the India choice would employ English speaking attendents.

 

[FIREINDUS]

For anyone considering this option in India, a retirement home with a good review would be an ideal choice rather than taking up an individual place and appointing a caretaker. The maids/caretaker are less reliable/trustworthy.
A place where you could deposit a lumpsum amount and care is guaranteed for the life of the registered would be a better deal considering the inflation in India.

 

[GregLee]

A place where you could deposit a lumpsum amount and care is guaranteed for the life of the registered would be a better deal considering the inflation in India.

It's an interesting alternative. I wouldn't want to pay it all in advance, because then there is no incentive to continue to provide good services. Maybe one could arrange to pay in USD if Indian currency inflation is a problem.

 

[chris2008]

In Germany we hear about the rise of private retirement homes in Thailand.
It seems to be a culture with a lot of respect for old people.

 

[chinaco]

I was reviewing our LTCi policy.

I was surprised to find that it will fund international LTC care.


I am really surprised the Mexico is not setting up LTC facilities (create an outsourcing industry) just across the border. If one had to resort to international care.... border of Mx would be a lot more convenient (for loved ones to visit and monitor) and much closer culturally.

 

[Telly]

Heck you can get even closer than that. There are 12 mm illegal aliens in the US. Hire one to stay in the home.

Even though I live in a border state, I can honestly say that I have never seen a 12 mm illegal alien. Since that would be less than 1/2" tall, I guess it is possible that I have walked past bushes that could have been hiding hundreds of them. But they must have kept very still as I went by. Question - would they be physically capable of handling our money?

 

[REWahoo]

Even though I live in a border state, I can honestly say that I have never seen a 12 mm illegal alien. Since that would be less than 1/2" tall...

And we wonder why our border fences can't keep them out...

 

[Telly]

And we wonder why our border fences can't keep them out...

And our local code won't allow chicken wire fences, and even that would be too large of openings.

Elder Care away in some far-off third-world country sounds like a bad idea to me. Like patients quietly disappearing. Maybe the locals would refer to it as a pit stop.

 

[ziggy29]

In some ways it sounds good in terms of controlling costs. But it would be a significant burden in terms of travel costs for family and friends who wanted to visit from time to time. This is an economic cost of such a policy that should be factored in, at least in some situations.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I was reviewing our LTCi policy.

I was surprised to find that it will fund international LTC care.


I am really surprised the Mexico is not setting up LTC facilities (create an outsourcing industry) just across the border. If one had to resort to international care.... border of Mx would be a lot more convenient (for loved ones to visit and monitor) and much closer culturally.

It is happening slowly.

There was an old hotel in Mazatlan that tried to become a LTC facility, the Melville. After about a year they gave it up. I do not know any details.

There are several LTC facilities in the Lake Chapala area. Some are alleged to be very good. At least one turned out to be a scam. Do your homework.

 

[BigNick]

It's an interesting alternative. I wouldn't want to pay it all in advance, because then there is no incentive to continue to provide good services. Maybe one could arrange to pay in USD if Indian currency inflation is a problem.

An SPIA in USD would kill all of those birds with one stone: income stream guaranteed, inflation protected to the extent that an inflating currency will typically devalue (but for extra security, maybe get CHF rather than USD ), and the nursing home doesn't get the money up front.

 

[Mulligan]

I'm all in on people flying to India to access affordable quality health AND then flying back. Flying a "loved one" halfway around the world to be dumped off in a nursing home sounds bizarre at best. I know the cost savings are there but if it was me, I would prefer to be euthanized than to lay around in a bed in a foreign country waiting to die.

 

[GregLee]

... I would prefer to be euthanized than to lay around in a bed in a foreign country waiting to die.

I wouldn't mind winding up in India, where the study of grammar and phonology began two millennia ago and now one of the world's greatest democracies. There might be more interesting things to do than lying and waiting for death.

 

[Mulligan]

I wouldn't mind winding up in India, where the study of grammar and phonology began two millennia ago and now one of the world's greatest democracies. There might be more interesting things to do than lying and waiting for death.

We might be coming at it from two different reference points. I'm thinking of the near end of life stage or severe dementia where you arent involved in the decision process. If you have a sound mind and broken down body and want to or are willing to go, I see no problem at all.

 

[ER Fireball]

The air pollution, filth, and corruption would be enough to get me to eat a bullet. If I never step on that sub-continent again, I will have one more thing to be grateful about!