Is Senior Care in Mexico an Option?

I will be writing this ‘in first person’ because I want to put this in the context of my search for care for my wife, who was stricken with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 48. I won’t share a drawn-out story on how I got to the point of seeking a care facility, other than to say that I had been committed to caring for her myself until the challenges became far greater than I had ever imagined, putting my mental and physical health as well as my job at risk.

Long-Term Care In the US

This is not intended as an indictment of the caregivers or facilities in the US, rather it is a contrast in personal findings. That said, here is what my experience has yielded.

Searching for a facility nearby entailed Web searches, support group inquiries, phone screening calls, and visits, plus going through placement services like ‘A Place for Mom’. In most cases, what I got in return was persistent phone follow-ups that seemed to feign genuine care; in reality, most seemed more interested in landing the monthly annuity that my wife’s care represented. That may seem a bit harsh, but I am just sharing my experience.

Visiting these facilities was what really made me realize I needed to rethink my approach entirely. My senses were assaulted by the clinical austerity of these facilities. The color palette was muted earth tones centered on putty gray. The materials and surfaces appeared to have been selected for wear resistance and easy clean-up. In truth, they seemed more like a hospital than a home (I have stayed in the hospital more than once, and each time, I could not wait to get out, I have to imagine the residents of these facilities feel the same way). There was, at most, a small and barren concrete courtyard serving as the sole access to the outdoors. The was nothing warm, comforting, or homelike about these places; in fact, just the opposite. Things just got worse as I explored the small and often shared bedrooms and bathrooms. The staff were nice enough people, if not a bit clinical, and the highly qualified staff, like Doctors, merely visited a couple of times a week for part of the day.  

There Must be an Alternative

Adding to the fact that there was no way in good conscience that I could put my wife in one of these places, the costs ranged from $5,000 – $10,000 a month which was way out of my budget. In all honesty, some places would do one or even two things better than the others, but none offered a solution I could accept, in fact, far from it. On the other hand, my wife’s care needs were rapidly exceeding my expertise and endurance, and this was equally true for the full-time live-in caregiver I had hired.

It was suggested to me that there were some facilities in Mexico that would address all my concerns and more, given my lack of success so far, and my desperate need for a solution, I had to explore this recommendation. Now to be fair, I have been an international traveler all my life, and I have spent a fair amount of time in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in particular. So I began this exploration with fewer obstacles to overcome than others might have.

Obstacles

The biggest obstacle was the fact that instead of being local, where I could have regular visits, my wife would be far away in another country. Visits would naturally be much less frequent, but video calls would be the next best thing. I would have to trust the facility to always provide quality and compassionate care and supervision since I would not be able to check-in as often and hold them accountable. In addition to establishing trust, I was not certain that I could get qualified care in Mexico. The facilities in Mexico vary just as widely as they do in the states, ranging from mom and pop services to large corporate facilities. That said, what follows are my personal findings, and I am not suggesting that these will be universally found throughout Mexico, so I will qualify my each of my findings in that regard.

Cost

The monthly cost for long term care is one of the harsh realities we have to face, and it serves as a genuine limiting factor. However, searching for a solution solely based on cost can deliver some scary results in the US or in Mexico. At the same time, you will naturally have some sort of budget, and whatever that budget is, it is universal that your dollars will go much, much further in Mexico. The cost for care will likely be 50% or lower than what you would pay in the US for roughly the equivalent.

Competency of Staff and Quality of Care

I am going to address staff competency and quality of care together because there is a different balance between these two attributes in Mexican facilities than in the US. At least a portion of the caregiver staff will likely have been trained on-site by the other staff. But don’t let that put you off. The Mexican culture is very warm and loving, and there is tremendous respect if not reverence for the elders and infirmed (which is just the opposite in the US). This something that can not be trained, is has to come from within.  In my opinion, it is one of the most compelling factors for choosing care in Mexico.

The ratio of residents to caregivers is much lower in Mexico, perhaps 3 or 4 residents to 1 caregiver, whereas in the US, the ratio is more commonly 6 (and up to 10) residents for each caregiver. Lastly, where the medical professional portion of the staff in the US may visit for a partial day or two a week, it is possible to find facilities in Mexico that have full-time doctors, psychologists, and physical therapists on-site. The doctors and psychologists are highly competent with training not only in Mexico but often in Europe and the US. Doctors often have multiple specialties, such as internal medicine and gerontology, and their philosophies may extend beyond conventional medicine to also include functional and homeopathic philosophies.

Rooms and Facilities

You will find places in Mexico where residents can have a beautiful private room and bath. Some may be laid out with a hacienda design that is not only roomier, more open, and possibly spilling out into sunny patios and gardens. Not only is this quite lovely for the residents, but private rooms and covered open-air walkways are much safer when it comes to communicable diseases like COVID 19. It is also quite possible to find places with various areas specifically designed for group physical therapy, arts and crafts, entertainment, and also indoor and outdoor therapy pools.

Flexibility Continuity of Services

You will find that some long term care facilities will provide a full range of care all the way through hospice, and on the other end of the spectrum, they might also provide ‘a la carte’ services to those living independently in a CCRC (continuous care retirement community) arrangement. You can also find facilities that charge the same for independent and assisted living, memory care, and hospice. And even more importantly, residents will not have to leave to find a new facility as their needs progress through these stages. All of this is unheard of in the US.

Safety

Safety, in general, is a large concern because our media in the US hypes up the violence in Mexico. Certainly, gang warfare is a reality, but it rarely includes ex-pats or tourists. Additionally, there is the same sort of criminal activity that you will find in US cities. You need to be smart and not be at the wrong place at the wrong time, just like you would in the US.

But that sort of safety is not an issue for residents living full-time in a long-term care facility. The concern for them is proper around-the-clock supervision and strict health and hygiene practices. Just as in the US, some facilities will be lax, and others during this pandemic period, for example, may even exceed CDC recommendations. In this particular regard (COVID 19), some states (e.g., Guanajuato) are taking this much more seriously than we are in the US.

Warmth, Beauty, and Charm

Depending on where you are looking, the weather in Mexico can be lovely and very conducive to some outdoor living activities for the residents. But even more important is the overall warmth, beauty, and charm of the Mexican culture that can not help but permeate everything in a facility from the compassion and authenticity in the care, the farm-to-table food, the handsome furnishings, the colorful decor, the beautiful architecture, and the delightful outdoor gardens and fixtures.

Conclusion

If you are not finding the care you are looking for in the US, and you are also finding that those unsatisfactory services are also far exceeding your budget, you might need to rethink what trade-offs you are willing to make. While placing a loved one into senior care in Mexico may seem too distant and challenging in other ways, the benefits may far exceed the challenges. And most importantly, your loved one would experience a far greater quality of life in this late stage of their life.