[Doug]

Pack up Granny, sell her house, keep her floating her around the Bahamas, Aruba, Curacao, PR, Jamaica,etc...forever ?


Cruise ships -- An alternative to assisted living facilities for the elderly?
Living on a cruise ship is a feasible and cost-effective option to assisted living facilities, and the services offered on a cruise ship parallel -- even surpass -- what is provided in senior care facilities, according to a study in the November issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
''Offering many amenities, such as three meals a day with escorts to meals, physicians on site and housekeeping/laundry services,cruise ship could be considered a floating assisted living facility,'' said Lee Lindquist, M.D., instructor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
''Seniors who enjoy travel, have good or excellent cognitive function and require some assistance with activities of daily living are the ideal candidates forcruise ship care,'' Lindquist said.
Lindquist, who is also an attending physician in the divisions of geriatric and general internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, compared costs over a 20-year life expectancy after moving to assisted living facilities, nursing homes and a cruise ship, including costs of treating acute illness, Medicare reimbursement and other factors.
She found that the net costs of cruise ship living were only about $2,000 higher ($230,000 vs. $228,000) than those associated with the assisted living facilities but resulted in higher quality over the 20-year period.
Lindquist's plan would include integration with regular passengers, with seniors selecting a cabin to inhabit as home during their prolonged cruise, whereas other passengers would disembark as usual.
The change in passengers would also afford seniors more stimulation and multiple interactions wit new people, she said.
Lindquist also interviewed a group of non-bedbound, cognitively intact, community-dwelling seniors aged 65 to 85 for their response to possiblecruise ship living. The seniors routinely rated the utility for cruise ship care higher than for traditional options and agreed that a market exists for cruise ship living as an alternative to traditional assisted living or nursing home care.
Younger older populations and retiring baby-boomers whom Lindquist queried felt that this idea would be a valuable option for their future.
''If this option succeeds, seniors could have much more enjoyable assisted living experience and, for a change, look forward to a time when they become less independent,'' Lindquist said.

[wilheim]

I like the idea of spending my twilight years on The Love Boat AKA The Pacific Princess..





Captain Merrill Stubing the bossman, Burl "Gopher" Smith the bill collector, Isaac Washington your friendly bartender, Dr. Adam Bricker makes state room calls, Vicki Stubing your friendly under aged stewardess, Julie McCoy - careful with Julie...



wil.

[1cheater]

Makes sense to me, cheap burial, toss granny over board when she kicks the bucket.

[NES]

You can live on a cruise ship for a year for under $12,000?

[NES]

Or did I read the 20 year plan part wrong? Surely it cant cost 228 K a year to put granny in a old-folks home

[Doug]

I found a week long cruise for $350 in about a minute. $50 a day, and I'm sure that can be beaten.

[NES]

wow, im assuming they have wifi right. That sounds cheaper than regular life. If you could get online making a $75 bucks a day you would be set.

[xpanda]

Or did I read the 20 year plan part wrong? Surely it cant cost 228 K a year to put granny in a old-folks home

The figure is for a 20-year life expectancy at an assisted living facility.

Interesting concept. I'm studying nursing right now and plan to work in long-term care....I would work on a cruise ship for sure!

[NES]

Im thinking about raising my kid on a cruiseship FTW!

[1cheater]

The figure is for a 20-year life expectancy at an assisted living facility.

Interesting concept. I'm studying nursing right now and plan to work in long-term care....I would work on a cruise ship for sure!

Xpanda, wife is a nurse, good luck with Carrier and the Nclex exam, very hard.

[Doug]

The figure is for a 20-year life expectancy at an assisted living facility.

Interesting concept. I'm studying nursing right now and plan to work in long-term care....I would work on a cruise ship for sure!

I think they are way low on the price for assisted living.

[xpanda]

I think so, too, Doug. Up here a private room will net you about $2k a month, above the gov't subsidy (semi-private and ward rooms are covered by OHIP, resident pays for the upgrade.) So over 20 years that's $480k assuming no rate hikes. Plus most wouldn't be in a nursing home for that long, anyway. Average is <3 years.

[SwiftyJ]

i like that idea. if grandma and grandpa are still in decent shape. mentally and physically at that age then why not ship them out

[Doug]

The figure is for a 20-year life expectancy at an assisted living facility.

Interesting concept. I'm studying nursing right now and plan to work in long-term care....I would work on a cruise ship for sure!

These figures we are throwing around might be quite debatable. I think the assisted living is real low, and the semi-assisted cruises are low too. A more able bodied sort, could probably hop cruises out of Florida permanently, for pretty damn cheap, say a Fishhead....do the planning and booking far enough in advance....as look as he has WiFi on board, might be able to do this for under 15k a year, and not even need a residence, maybe a small storage locker in Coco Beach,Tampa, Miami, or wherever your home port is.

X these ships carry 5,000 passengers and more, they certainly require some nurses/ doctors, esp. if they carry old passengers.

[barman]

DOUG, this is a Great Thread and I think it might hold the answer which you have been so earnestly seeking regarding how to finally Get Away from the ol' Ball 'n Chain

1) Use your true skills of identifying those weeklong cruises that cost three-fitty or less.

2) Book yourself on 52 consecutive such cruises originating out of the Port of Tampa.

3) Discreetly pack a couple big suitcases, load them in the back of your trusty F-150 and head south. You can park your rig here at my place and I'll even give you $50 a week so I can use it in my local lawn/garden biz

4) As you head out the door, tell your wife, "I'll be right back".

5) There's a Kinkos conveniently located in Tampa just across the street from docks where cruise ships load. You should have enough time between ships that you can do a quick LogOn to the Rx and get all your Posts made for the Betjam and other sponsor Books Contest threads.

[barman]

Related Fun Fact that's possibly of interest to RxForum friend Doug:

When you're on a cruise ship, you can Pee into the sink within your personal stateroom and no one will complain.

But be aware that when the ship sails south of the equator, the urine will swirl down the drain in reverse motion.

[brucefan]

I would eat myself to death

[Doug]

Bar, I'm looking for the Low budget ship ( Like a floating Imperial palace, Elcortez, Binions,etc).

They should charge me no more than $100 a week, which I can work off washing dishes, dealing blackjack, or something. Hell , I'll be an escort for the senior ladies once we hit Aruba....not that different than being with my wife, anyway.

Do you pay the insurance on the truck ?

[Betallsports]

I found a week long cruise for $350 in about a minute. $50 a day, and I'm sure that can be beaten.

You think for $350 you will be getting a Suite ??

The Lower class Rooms have No Window.......The bathroom is something like 3 X 6, where you can Piss & shower at the same time.

It's about 120 sq feet in All. Maybe less.....

[Betallsports]

Bar, I'm looking for the Low budget ship ( Like a floating Imperial palace, Elcortez, Binions,etc).

They should charge me no more than $100 a week, which I can work off washing dishes, dealing blackjack, or something. Hell , I'll be an escort for the senior ladies once we hit Aruba....not that different than being with my wife, anyway.

Do you pay the insurance on the truck ?

You can always get a Job on a Cruise .......

You will need to sign a 4, 6 or 8 Month Contract.

They don't get paid much, but it includes, Meals and Free room ( which you might have to share )

some of the people that I have met on the cruises tell me that they have to pay a very small amount for claning cloths ......and On their days off
which might be 1 day, you can use the pool, etc....

As long as you are not working when they are at a Port, you can go relax

[Doug]

It's not intended to be luxury travel It's like budget retirement cruising, until you die !. I'd sure rather spend my 70's and 80's cruising around in economy quarters in the Caribbean instead of stuck in some shithole retirement home, in Ct.

However I will not live to be 70, 60 is more like it.

It is an option for younger folks, like me and FH, if you can make some computer money, while on perma-cruise mode.

Depends on how stable Matchbook is ?

[barman]

Do you pay the insurance on the truck ?

Insurance against what?

[Doug]

Like liability, Steve, Duh ?

Of course this will never happen, but if I gave ( rented) you my truck, for your business, it has to be insured, to be operated.

Surely you just buy a truck in your own name, business name ( if you're on the books, 100 % ?).

It's all in jest, you don't need my truck, any suitable used pick-up
would work as your 2nd truck.

[bucsfan67]

You can live on a cruise ship for a year for under $12,000?

that was my exact thought as well when i looked at it...must be reading something wrong..

[barman]

Like liability, Steve, Duh ?

Of course this will never happen, but if I gave ( rented) you my truck, for your business, it has to be insured, to be operated.

Liability for what? You may not realize that I'm An Excellent Driver

As for the secondary thought, actually it's remarkably easy to drive in Florida without carrying the legally requisite insurance.

I already knew that, but recently learned something even better when I was finally cited for not having insurance during my first traffic stop in several years.

That is - when using a vehicle that is not owned by me, the traffic court judge in North Pinellas County automatically dismisses the charge.

The S10 I use for lawn/garden work is actually owned by a friend (I've been using it for just over five years now).
When I went in to just plead guilty and pay the fine, the clerk informed me that since I don't own the truck, the charge is dismissed.


All of the above should be useful to you when that day comes you go on the PermaCruise and need a safe place to park your sled.