Luxury Nursing home for French people in Tunisia

French

 A friend who visited my partner during his respite stay him suggested me to have a look at the nursing home that opened in Tunisia for French people. She head about it in a TV show.

Even if it is in French, you can have a look. https://www.carthagea.fr/ 

Due to terrorism, Tunisian tourism has declined a lot. So they have large 4 or 5 stars hotels half full or less. A French business man decided to propose this new concept. Tunisian speak French, they are paired 10 times less than French people. As a result, they can propose luxury nursing home at the same price than the mid-price here.

There you have a 50 square meter room, many activities, a swimming  pool... and one caretaker attributed to the resident from 7:30 am to 8 pm ! With this caretaker they can go about, to the beach... they also have a very good health program because our governments have agreements.

You can stay with your spouse for a very low price. You (or family) can just visit him and stay with him few days... as it is an hotel.

My only problem is that it is something in contradiction with my social education. Yes I am French and have been raised in the culture of public schools, same possibilities for everybody whatever their social position...

  

But still, I think to my partner comfort and must recognize that there is no (or so few) solutions for EOAD here, so if there are affordable and good solutions somewhere else, why not ?

So I begin to think to try it for fall. Minimum stay is 1 month and I could stay few days with him at the beginning so that he feels on holidays.

Would you try it ?

zauberflote

French, that looks too good to be true! 300 days of sunshine per year? A dedicated caregiver who takes you to the beach? My mother would have loved that when she was at the stage your husband is now. If it had been within her means, I would have wanted her to have that much sunshine and companionship, definitely! 

My French is minimal. Can one "trial" it for a month? What kind of contract is required after that? 

Now I want to go there....

Jo C.

Viet Nam, Thailand, and some other Asian countries have been marketing similar fancy places for quite some time; each client has a dedicated caregiver; one one.  However, when there is a significant health need or crisis, the healthcare is not the same; and finding a Neurologist or competent dementia specialist for abrupt signiicant problems is practically nil.  No Hospice for the later days either and in most areas, no visiting Home Health with RNs..  Care is very different.

Some people have admitted their LOs to such places and then flew home to the states leaving their LOs permanently behind;  Some do fly back at intervals to visit; I would not be comfortable with that.   Imagine that with the pandemic; not doable and how safe our LOs?.  Not good.  I need to be able to see how things are going, how my LO is really being cared for.  Not able to do that in such a situtation.  What one sees at first blush may not be the level of care after a time when no family is near to observe and advocate. I would feel that I had abandoned my LO.

What we see as luxury would often not be translated the same in our LO as they move through their disease process; it would no longer matter to them.  Most of the fancy-schmancy stuff is for the family that is placing; we have that here in the uber-rich facilities with crystal chandeliers and fancy furniture; it is a marketing tool at huge cost to the consumer that delivers nothing different where the rubber hits the road in reality.

We here have a crisis on our hands regarding the elderly; such a rich country throwing money hither and thither; but nothing concrete seems to be applied to the elderly and infirm.  But then we who are involved in that group are not shouting loud enough or often enough in large enough numbers;; especially when election time is approaching.  It takes throngs of people  screaming, shouting, demonstrating; getting air time and pushing it into the faces of the pols who depend on the people to elect them - that is their primary goal that is pandered to for most of them.  They w8ll sell to the hightest bidder so to speak.
 

So; if I were going to take a "vacation" for my Loved One and myself to such a spot for a month or so, alright.  But not to leave my LO without me being able to be a presence.  

 J.

Iris L.

This looks like a wonderful place.  In fact, I would love to visit there myself!  I could use a spa vacation!

Nevertheless, I have to think realistically.  Jo gives astute consideration, especially since this is a new set-up.  Just because they promise experienced and knowledgeable dementia care, doesn't mean they really "get" it.  Do you have any references, aside from their own advertising material?

The Covid situation, although lessening, is still not totally under control.  I am leary of foreign travel for myself for at least another year.  This means particularly steering clear of vessels of transportation and hotel rooms.  You might get stuck at a border and are refused entry into your own country!

Also, about a decade ago, tourists were killed on the beach in Tunisia or Libya (I forget which), also in Egypt.  Now is not the time for overseas travel , IMO.  If the young, healthy people are not traveling overseas, I wonder if it is a good idea for the older, more frail people to travel overseas?  At the same time, there might not be any problem. One cannot predict.  

By fall things may be calmed down.  Does France have anything like Yelp that gives reviews?  Can you get personal references?  Perhaps someone could accompany him.  2700 euros is a great price.  (I am very tempted.)  

Iris

French

Thank you for your points of view. It helps identifying areas of concern.

*Tunis is 2 1/2 hours plane from our city so it isn't very far, but still not is if it was in the city, you can't go every week.

 And Yes, JoC, I imagine what you mean, leaving your LO and continue your life (here we say "far from eyes, far from heart"). They propose to take in charge 4 days at the hotel per trimester so that the family comes.

* about covid, they haven't closed as they did here. And even, people sent their LO there during this year because it was safer. Indeed, they had the caretakers leaving in the hotel ! This seems impossible here. I don't feel comfortable about that when I think to these young women who were obliged to stay in this hotel without visiting their family. I hope they were better paid.

Visiting was always possible, based on the assumption that visiting people didn't want to infect their LO and tested before coming. They had very few cases and controled them easily as resident are in contact with less profesionnals    

* about health: They claim that everything is thought. I think that in these country, with money, you access to the best specialists easily.

* about long term : yes, I also think it can be the major issue. We don't know if these systems are sustainable (very important for EOAD). We also don't know if they will always correspond to our LO needs.

I progress in thinking it could be a good solution for respite stay but it must be studied carrefully for longer stay.

How it is difficult to find a good solution. We will return to our normal life and even if I set up many things during this period, I can see that it isn't robust and I am not sure that I will be able to keep him at home. Already, I have learnt that the woman who works for us the morning won't come in July and August ! I feel like I spend my time plugging leaks.

 

Stuck in the middle

It looks lovely.  I don't read French, but my computer has a translator so I was able to read in English.  

Tunisia is the one free country in North Africa, and it's probably safer from terrorism than the small Missouri city in which I live, if this morning's newspaper is any guide.  If your helper is not working in July and August, that might be a good time for your LO to visit.

banpaeng

Ms. Jo C.  I agree with most of what you wrote.  From living in Thailand for about 15 years over the last 50 plus years, Medical care, though different, can be better and so much cheaper (like a lot) than you can find here in the good ol USA

If a facility is in the Bangkok or Chiang Mai area, great medical is available.  The drawback for us is that it is a long way from our kids and the looooooooooooooooong flight.