With suitable dementia care in the UK often not available or affordable, families have begun sending their loved ones to residential care homes in Thailand according to a recent report in the Guardian.
Researchers visiting Chiang Mai found eight care homes where guests from the UK are now residents.
“I can well understand people choosing this option given the state of anxiety about care in the UK” says Paul Edwards the Director of Clinical Services at Dementia UK, adding that it is a market he can see becoming more popular because of an ailing UK system.
According to Dr Caleb Johnston, a senior lecturer in Human Geography at Newcastle University who spent nine weeks in Thailand visiting residential care homes, “Thailand already has a long history of medical tourism and it’s now setting itself up as an international hub for dementia care”.
Currently there are around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. Local authority residential care costs up to £700 (AU$1,324) a week, with private care about £1,000 (AU$1,891).
While there are no official staff-to-resident ratios in the UK, both state and private facilities tend to have levels around 1:6 within a sector that has 122,000 job vacancies and annual staff turnover exceeding 30%.
Compare this to Thailand where 1:1 around-the-clock residential care with fully-qualified staff – in award-winning facilities – costs around £750 (AU$1,418) a week. Some homes have three to four staff for every resident.
The homes are a mix of British- run, Swiss-run and Thai-run, but with substantial investment from the UK and all with the support of the Thai Government.
Peter Brown moved to Chiang Mai from the UK and opened a four-star hotel resort 11 years ago. Six years ago after becoming unhappy with the quality of care his mother was receiving in her British aged care home he founded the Care Resort Chiang Mai.
According to Peter the solution should be found at home in the UK but lack of availability and affordable options has encouraged families to look further afield at Thailand where the staff have a strong family culture that respects the elderly and accommodation is more affordable.
He said “the British state does need to do more because the best place for people to be looked after is where they are now”.
Photo Credit: The Guardian
