Medical tourism – Alzheimer’s style

Posted on January 1, 2014

More Alzheimer’s patients finding care far from home | Nation & World | The Seattle Times.  This article looks at the direction in which Alzheimer’s care may be shifting.  There are currently 44 million Alzheimer’s patients globally with 135 million projected by 2050.  Even now, Western spouses and family members are faced with an insufficient supply of qualified nurses and facilities, while other countries provide cheaper – and to some minds, better – care for those suffering from an illness for which very few effective treatments have been developed, and that is always fatal.

The treatment center that is the major focus of this Associated Press article is located in Thailand – the Baan Kamlangchay center.  Additional elder care options in other countries are mentioned, such as the Philippines, Eastern Europe, Spain, Greece, and Ukraine.  Cost is the driving force of those who are “exporting” (not my word) the elderly to these foreign countries.  One gentleman from Switzerland brought his 65-year old wife to Baan Kamlangchay because the monthly cost for her Alzheimer’s care ($3,800) is a third of what he would pay in his own country and he states that the staffing ratios are far better, and the activities more engaging.  In the Philippines, care is offered to Americans for $1,500 to $3,500 a month, compared to the average of $6,900 for a private room in a skilled nursing facility in the United States, according to the American Elder Care Research Organization.

Cost shouldn’t be the only consideration, however, when moving a loved one into Alzheimer’s or dementia care – and that applies to every country in which that care is available.  What are the training requirements for those who will be providing this disease-specific care for your loved one?  What type of governmental or social service oversight is in place to protect and advocate for the rights of those patients who can not advocate for themselves?  The latter question becomes extremely relevant when the patients’ families are not around to observe care on an ongoing basis.  In the previous paragraph I mentioned the man who brought his 65-year old wife from Switzerland to Thailand for care.  He is now faced with the very difficult decision of perhaps leaving his wife of 41 years in the facility, and returning to Switzerland to carry on the rest of his life.

That’s a decision unbearable in its emotional implications.

What are your thoughts?  Are you willing to become an expatriate should this medical need present itself in your life?