(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 05, 2009 ) Most people address their minds to the question of pension provision when they are young enough to do something constructive about it and there are many pressures to do so. However few people can bring themselves to take their minds so far forward that they can envisage themselves in need of assisted accommodation - or even a care home.
It is a fact that, with better medical care, healthier lifestyles (including diet and exercise), the campaign against smoking and the constant urge to use alcohol with moderation, people are living much longer than ever before. The The fact of the matter is that, although, for some, a residential care home might be, or become, the only answer, nevertheless for many, who remain reasonably fit and mobile and mentally alert, there are alternatives.
Thoughts on some of the alternatives
First of all, what are the alternatives? Bearing in mind the coat of a care home, one possibility which has about a certain edge of glamour, is that of thinning down one's possessions and living aboard a cruise liner.
At first blush, this might sound an improbable idea - but let us examine the realities. Princess Cruises operate cruises all over the place, which at least compete with the cost of some care homes. If you book as a senior citizen you get a discount and if you book for a long-term stay you get another. There is free medical care, free gym and pools and evening entertainment; free toiletries and clean towels, linen and cleaning are included - as well as room service and all the food and drink that you could reasonably require; besides which, if you haven't done so already, you can travel the world in comfort and luxury. Moreover, if you do die out there, there is also the option of burial at sea.
A second alluring possibility is that of going to live abroad - somewhere where property prices and labour are cheap and where the sun shines nearly all year round. Many countries attract pensioners and are quite happy to grant them permanent residency visas, provided that you can prove a certain minimum income - which, of course, could be seriously boosted by investing most of the sale value of your expensive British home, after you have bought somewhere else, suitable to your needs and at up to a twentieth of the cost abroad, compared with the cost of property in the UK.
Moreover, if you ever actually need nursing care at home, it is going to be a lot cheaper to secure it this way, than through private contracts in the UK or through a care home (where there is a profit beyond that made by the nursing staff themselves). For the stalwart and the adventurous, this option represents a real possibility, especially if you choose a country where a language is spoken which you can speak - whether English or something else.
With modern forms of communication - including those available through the internet, it is very easy to keep in touch with family and friends back home - so far as you want to after they presented you with the real possibility of a care home in the UK.
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