Any hospices in Bangkok?

[Guest]

Does anyone know of any hospices in Bangkok for the terminally sick.

 

I have cancer and my time is running out. Soon I will be bedridden and needing full time care. I am interested in an up market place, because I can afford to pay, rather than a charity place for the poor and homeless.

 

(And no! I don?t want to join the free fall club! When I go I want it to be quiet, peaceful, preferably in my sleep, with no drama and no heroics.)

[Guest]

interesting that you want to die in bangkok and not in your homecountry. i have to say that i only know of real hospizes for the poor, not for the ones who can pay.

i guess that most wealtier people do that in their own homes here (and most poor as well). i am rather sure though that you might be able to do that in bumrungrad or any other top notch hospital here, they do have faboulous suites there.

dunno how you deal with religion, but lots of people do find some sort of religion very helpful in order to die properly (even if not religious during their life). there are priests of all faiths available for such services here, and i would be glad to be of assistence to find one for you if you wish so.

anyhow, i wish you a good trip.

[whosyourdaddy]

I know of only 2 palliative care services . The St. Clair hospice and the Lopburi temple ( Wat Phra Bat Nam Phu)hospice but both are for HIV/ AIDS patients. I would say that most people would die at home or stay at home until the later stages of the diseases

[lembeh]

 

really sorry to hear of your situation, and I am afraid I can't offer you much in the way of info along the lines you are asking. Traditionally in asia, hospices are very sad affairs, little more than places where people are left to die, usually those without families.

 

In some asian countries, Singapore for example, Hospices and pallitive care are becoming more common, and the level of care there would be more in line with what you are thinking (specially trained palitive care docs and nurses for example). In Thailand, I really have not heard of any, except as noted the Wats (Temples) and even there it is more a case of a matress on the floor, rather than proper care.

 

There is *probably* a way around it, which would involve throwing money (basically a fair amount) at it, which would be to set up your own "mini" place. A trained nurse (or two) for twenty four hour care and daily (or so) visits by a doc could be arranged quite reasonably (even one of the better Bumingrand docs could easily be bought out for evening visits). You would need to arrange a place (*reasonably* easy to do, but harder if you let them know the true reason, as landlords may think they will have trouble renting the place out afterwards). You would also need a reccomendation for a *good* lawyer (i.e. one that could be trusted to 'deal" with financial matters and not rob you blind so that yur funds are exhausted too early - so to speak, as well as take care of other "arrangements").

 

depending upon your age and financial position, you would also have to consider how you are going to get a visa (assuming you need more than a one month visa). As with most of the people (except the lawyer and doc), I would suggest that you imply you are looking for a "rehab" rather than pallitive care, as there may be considerable reluctance to deal with you.

 

All in all, you may find that it is a lot of paper work as well as dealing with officials. Depending upon how long your docs there have given you, are you sure you want to be dealing with these issue at this time?

 

What ever you decide, hope it goes peacefully for you.

-j-

[Guest]

I must thank you guys most sincerely for your replies, helpful ideas and kind thoughts. Much appreciated.

 

To fill in some of the gaps I have lived in Bangkok for some time now, in my sixties, single, no dependants, on a retirement visa (where my time is liable to run out before the current extension period does).

 

Interesting comment from flyonzewall about dying in my home country. Always felt that way myself, that one day I would return home and see out my years there. But having been a footloose wanderer all my life, worked 20+ countries, most for 6 to 24 months though in one made 3 years, the concept of a home country slowly disappears and after a while the feeling is that you don?t really belong anywhere very much anymore. As it happened ended up in Bangkok, no planning for that just happenstance.

 

Not sure about Bumrungrad being all its touted to be, know bits of it quite well having had a lot of ops and treatment there. No special medical knowledge or insights, just a layman?s opinion, is that I have found the Doctors there to be first class, great attitude to patients and care, seem to be on top of all the latest techniques, drugs, treatments etc. Not sure about the nursing standards though, which I have also heard from others, that they are not really up to Western standards in training, experience, delegated responsibility, or professionalism. The facilities also are rather worn. Once you get past the BS marble foyers, in house Starbucks, public areas, etc. the equipment in the treatment and machine rooms, and indeed in the patient rooms themselves, looks old and tired and the general standard of maintenance gives a poor impression. I asked but they do not have a hospice facility there.

 

Its not about the mental issues though, at least in my case. When you are sick for a long time you learn to deal with the inevitability of it all and come to terms with it, and indeed religion is a very great comfort to many people facing that reality.

 

Its more about the physical issues. As whoseyourdaddy and josh ingu mention, the palliative care is the target. Cancer treatments tend to be very aggressive, injecting very powerful and toxic chemicals into the body to kill off the bad cells but with substantial collateral damage to the good ones too. As the bits and organs begin to deteriorate and fail then the pain, nausea, sleeplessness, swellings, convulsions, rashes, helplessness, start to kick in. Hospices have developed skills and techniques to minimize these effects and make the passing largely pain free. That combined with a lack of a normal or typical home/family environment here lead to my interest in finding out if anyone knew of a sophisticated hospice in Bangkok.

 

I think though that all this may just be a bit too morbid for a board that focuses on Sanuk!

 

So better leave it there, but again with a big thank you all for your replies.

[Guest]

Please do not leave this subject. I can fully relate to your situation and I am sure many others can as well, although they may never post.

 

I too am in a situation that will eventually see me pass my final days in LOS. Not quite as immediate as yours, but certainly in due course. I find that a blessing and not a handicap.

 

As to pallative treatment, I would suggest that you consider hiring a full time nurse and perhaps a housekeeper. Die in your own comfortable surroundings, not a clinical setting. YOU chose where (and in many ways, when) you wish to shun this mortal coil. You don't get a lot more choices so make the ones that allow you to live out your days in where you are most content. A doctor can make visits and probably set up a self adjusted morphine drip if pain is a concern. Other considerations are all taken care of by some $$ whih there is no reason to save, and your own attitudes.

 

Several of my friends have done this over the years, and have set a good example IMO. Unfortunately this was in CM and I do not have contacts for you in Bkk. But a good hospital or your current doctor should set you on the right path. Please stay in touch with this board, there are some great people here, and we will all be to your place in time.

 

"Help, I am trapped inside a dying animal." ~ Blake

[sabio]

Iacaman:

 

There is one point I would like to make. If the time you expect to be bedridden is months not weeks, I believe your chances of getting good care till the end improve significantly if you have someone, a family member or a friend, check on you with some regularity. The goal is to have the caring staff understand that there is a downside to not performing.

 

I wish you a peaceful time.

[Guest]

Hi lacaman,

 

I made a post to you before, but I deleted, thinking it taken the wrong way. But in thinking it over, I've decided your best course of action, IMO.

 

Hire a bargirl. Not for the sex, but for your care. I would think much cheaper than a full time professional nurse. It seems like you will only need day-to-day care, as in someone taking care of your everyday things, and money does not seem to be a big issue, in your circumstance. I think most girls would jump at the chance, and you'll have something nice to look at everyday.

 

For me, a hospice would be quite morbid, and a constant reminder of my iminate demise. I'd much prefer to spend my last days with a pretty girl taking care of me, than 'Nurse Pritchet', at the local hospice.

 

Do not dispare. We are all going to meet the same fate as you. In the end, I'd kind of like a little advance notice, such as you have been given. That way I could leave this world with a cute Thai girl in one hand, and a Singha in the other. A fitting departure, in my mind.

 

Good luck to you, and keep us abreast of your decisions. And let us know how any of us can help you. While we might appear to be just a big group of whoremongers, the collective intelligence, and big hearts here, is truly awesome. Use that to your advantage. You are not alone. You were right to come here. Nothing is too morbid for us.

 

HT

[Guest]

I agree here HT. Guess that what I was alluding to with the 'housekeeper' thing. And hell what is wrong with some loving and attention in your last days???

 

That's what my friend did in CM. She stayed with him til' the end and held his hand as he died. Don't get better than that. He left her a small gift of money to get on with her life and after an appropriate time she married a Thai guy and they are still together after several years.

[-.-.-]

I sent you a PM