Americans Sending Their Aged Parents to Mexico.

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What happens as your parents age and start losing their independence and capabilities?

In Mexico, the answer is simple, the parent goes to live in the house of one of the children, and continues to work as much as possible in whatever way he or she can. It's common for these old people to take care of the children, cook, or even sit all day long at a tiendita and sell soda and snacks. They do these activities until they die.

Sadly, many people suffer from one or more disabling illnesses that affects their independence greatly. Perhaps mental disabilities are the worst, since they make it hard for people to interact with their families or friends. One time, I was in my car and I saw an old man in the middle of the road. I offered him a ride, and he took me to several well-known towns, unable to figure out where he was or where he was going. He didn't even remember his own name or where he wanted to go. Fortunately, his relatives saw me and I was able to leave him with them. They told me it wasn't the first of his "escapades."

Illnesses don't respect borders and diseases such as Alzheimer's disease affect old people in the United States too. In these situations, many people opt to put their parents in a nursing home or an assisted living facility. Unfortunately, the prices of these facilities have gone up and many people can't afford them anymore, nor pay for the care their parents need at home.

The solution for many is to send their parents to a nursing home in Mexico. It is not only a much cheaper option than in the United States, but the weather is better and the food is more natural.

How much does it cost? I stopped by one of these places a couple of days ago. The cost for a single room with all care (referred to "as if the person were a baby") was $7,500 pesos for a month, which is about $570 American dollars. The home was run by nuns and they told me that they only admitted women over 70, that they were at full capacity, and that they had people on a waiting list.

The place looked clean. It had a big fountain with a statue of Jesus in the middle of a garden that was surrounded by the bedrooms. It didn't seem that it had more space than that, but considering the kind of situation people who lived there were, I don't think it's necessary. The place was clean and nice, and it had nice flowers and vegetation. Frankly, I think it's not a bad place at all to be if your mental capabilities are starting to fade.

Want to know more? Read about things about Mexican healthcare that surprise Americans.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to  get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.     

Assisted Living in Mexico

The Golden Years South of the Border

Assisted living is one of the services that Americans look for in Mexico.

Let's understand first what assisted living is. At the end of their lives, many Americans find that they want to have the highest quality of life they can afford over a long period of time. Also, some people suffer from illnesses or diseases that need constant care. Finally, some children have to financially support for the care of their parents in their senior years. For all these people, assisted living becomes an economically viable option.

However, because assisted living is related to the quality of life in the long run, people want to have the best one they can get at a price they can support on a permanent basis. Many of these senior citizens or their patients find that they can get a much higher quality of assisted living in Mexico for the same price that they would pay for lower quality assisted living in the US.

There are three main types of assisted living:

Independent living. Independent living is the choice for retired people in reasonable good health. The service arranges for them a beautiful place to live, where they can participate in social activities and have medical services nearby. The price usually includes the services of a maid once a week, and meals, although many people choose to cook for themselves just for the pleasure of it. People who choose independent living don't have to worry about looking for a decent and safe place to live, or deal with landlords, plumbers, or electricians. The price allows them to have a high quality of life while saving money for future health care problems.

Assisted living. Assisted living is the choice of people who need regular medical care, have lost some of their independence capabilities, or just want to take life easier. In addition to the services of independent living, it includes programmed meals, and frequent healthcare services. People who are in assisted living typically enjoy or participate in social activities provided by the institution.

Nursing care. This service is reserved for people who have lost a lot of their independence capabilities, typically due to a physical or mental condition. This type of care is akin to hospital care. Depending on the case, it may include some basic social activities.

Institutions don't always fall neatly into one of these categories and their services may include one, two, or all three types of assisted living.

Finally, there is another reason why senior Americans choose to get assisted care in Mexico. In Mexico, senior people tend to be loved, respected, and appreciated. Mexicans see the elderly as a source of wisdom and experience. Sadly, it is something that Americans seem to have lost, judging from the increasing number of children who forget about their parents once they are sent to a nursing home.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to  get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.