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I suspect that for long term care you just hire someone. My grandmother in Texas had a live-in maid / caretaker for about 3 years. Not sure if she was legal or not, but she spoke only Spanish (my dad spoke Spanish and could talk to her). He paid her about $900 a month and whatever she needed for food, medicine, supplies, which she bought for the house with an allowance. That was 20 years ago so it'd probably be like $1500 a month now.
In Mexico, Ecuador or someplace, $1000-1500/mo is a decent salary so you'd just hire a nurse. Heck of a lot less than an American nursing home costs.
I suspect that for long term care you just hire someone. My grandmother in Texas had a live-in maid / caretaker for about 3 years. Not sure if she was legal or not, but she spoke only Spanish (my dad spoke Spanish and could talk to her). He paid her about $900 a month and whatever she needed for food, medicine, supplies, which she bought for the house with an allowance. That was 20 years ago so it'd probably be like $1500 a month now.
In Mexico, Ecuador or someplace, $1000-1500/mo is a decent salary so you'd just hire a nurse. Heck of a lot less than an American nursing home costs.
LOL! Not in my neck of the woods!!
My parents caregivers are paid between $15 and $17 and hour. There are 3 of them, since the times are so split up during the week (my parents are both on dialysis). To cover all the times that they really need care (not covering nights when they are asleep) would run about $52,000 a year. So far, they are trying to manage with fewer hours than that, a little over half. Their meager savings is being depleted, quickly.
Caregivers are very expensive. If you hire a company, you will pay even more.
Don't worry. If you're not running around in the back streets of dangerous barrios you probably won't have to wade through mobs of prostitutes, most tourists and expats only see them in el centro near the front of one church.
I don't know about that
Many years ago, I had a TDY to Howard AFB in Panama. We got there at night.
The prostitutes were right ouside the front gate of the base. Don't know if that is happening now, but probably is
We ended up living in a hotel for the duration of our trip.
Lots of prostitutes outside. Kind of sad in a way.
No way would i want to live there.
Lots of beggers in the streets. Who wants to see that on a daily basis.
A guy that use to work out at my gym owned the sweet affair bakery in the Bay area. I did not see him for a few years then he reappeared at the gym in the sauna with a large scar down his leg. I asked him what happened. well he moved to South America to live on the beach in retirement. Well bandits came ,stole his stuff and shot him in the leg.
I've been reading blogs and social media groups about this for a couple of years. Many of the expats complain that the countries aren't cheaper because the expats are charged "gringo prices".
No one will answer my question as to what their plans are for long-term care in the event they can no longer live on their own.
None of the women will answer my questions as to how they will get along in certain countries (like Ecuador where it is not safe for a woman to travel alone) if they become widowed.
My husband, who is retired from military service, worries that Americans congregated in cities outside of the USA will eventually be targets for terrorists and will not have any protection from the governing country that they live in. He worries about corrupt police and no protection from criminals. When I have asked the expats about the corruption they laugh and say it is true. When I ask about being targets of crime they tell me they just have to stay inside at night and have bars on their doors and windows and cut glass and barbed wire on the walls surrounding their homes. When I ask if this bothers them they don't respond.
There is a blogger who boasts that he moved to a country where he can buy his high blood pressure medication OTC and he hasn't been to see a doctor in 3 years. I have written to ask how he knows that his medication is real, and that he is taking the right dosage and whether or not he needs an adjustment to his medication, or even if the medication is causing harm. He didn't respond to that question.
I continue to read the blogs and the more I read the more questions I have.
These folks have decided that life is simply more enjoyable in their new locations. LTC is far, far, far cheaper outside the US than in it. As for the rest, if you are looking for reasons not to move overseas I am sure you can find them - easily.
Last edited by Vacanegro; 02-18-2020 at 07:02 PM..
Indeed - good things and bad happen everywhere. If gun violence is your main concern, the US has 28th-highest rate rate, and none of the higher ones are first-world countries.
But - there are people who cannot remotely imagine doing anything like this but are keen to participate in such threads. Ideally, only those who haven't dismissed the idea ought to opine on this.
For us, South America is simply not an option. We have, however, occasionally given thought to Europe (Germany mainly as my wife is a dual-citizen, but other areas as well), India, South Africa (wonderful country, but income disparity, crime and deteriorating governance) have come to mind on multiple occasions. Will likely retire here in the US but can see pluses and minuses involved.
I have been to Medellin several times but might get bored there....I would look at Laureles as a place to live....Avenida Nutibara has a stretch of restaurants and coffee shops that has a bit of an American feel to it with less American ex-pats than El Poblado/Parque Lleras.
I really like Rio de Janeiro and am heading there again next month. I could easily see myself setting up shop in Leblon. Not concerned about crime in that area. I would be forced to learn Portuguese. A former acquaintance of mine from Orange County, CA was a former NFL player (now turned attorney) who used to spend most of his offseason there teaching Brazilians how to play American football. Even met his wife there.
I am thinking of checking out Madrid later this year--I have been to Barcelona and liked that city. I like the option of being able to hit many other cool cities (within Spain and other countries) using either city as a base....a former college friend of mine has lived there for many years now and raves about their healthcare system.
Just remember to remove your gringo-colored glasses. Lol I’ve been in and out of Brazil since the late 90’s and can confirm that everyone I know there has been robbed, car-jacked, kidnapped (for their ATM & pin) or had a car stolen. As much as my wife loves her country, she’ll never move back there. When there, she won’t leave her mom’s house with anything other than a few $R in her pocket.
Having said that, the medical care is only slightly behind the US in technology but years ahead in caring for patients. Dental care is excellent- former brother-in-law is a dentist. I love Brazil and have traveled in the country more than the average Brazilian. From the Pantanal to São Paulo to Belem-to-Manaus by riverboat along with two other kayak/riverboat trips in the Amazon, it’s a spectacular place. But, dangerous. I always thought we’d retire there but frankly, I don’t want to be a 6’2” gringo target for the rest of my life.
True story: took my nephew and father on the riverboat trip and we spent a few days in Belem. My nephew is larger than me and I’m not short. We were walking around the Ver-O-Peso and you could see certain guys’ eyes light up at the sight of our cameras. Then, they’d look up at me...and then look at the nephew. You could see the disappointment after the “It’s just not worth it” thought phase. We were lucky no one aimed a gun at us though.
Another story: I left my hotel just off of Paulista Ave in São Paulo and when I got back, one of the hotel staff jokingly asked if I still had my watch. I pulled up my sleeve and showed him an empty wrist.
“Oh, you left it in your room.”
“Nah”... I pulled up the other sleeve. It was still there. The hotel guy got a good laugh and said, “too clever.” I did leave my wallet in the room safe though. I love SP...the food is world class!
We have women living alone here in Ecuador and they travel and get along just fine. We dont feel unsafe where we are. But we take usual precautions. Nothing has happened yet lol. I have been to many doctors and hospital twice. It was fine....all services free for our low HC payment.
If i was widowed...not sure. Probably stay for financial reasons and I love my oceanfront condo. I could afford in home care. Couldnt afford any of that in the U.S. unfortunately.
Hope that answers the questions above. We would have preferred Spain or Greece but beyond our means except to visit for 3 months in the winter which are doing now.
I do. We lived in Medellin, and the only place we saw prostitutes was a certain part of downtown where they are known to be. To think living in Medellin one must accept a life of passing prostitutes in the streets on a regular basis is absurd.
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