A UK HOTEL
Mrs Thatcher spent her last days in the Ritz Hotel, in London.
Could we do the same, spending less?
Retiring to a hotel was done by elderly people years ago in the UK. I visited Peebles Hydro in Peebles, Scotland. They had one elderly resident who had been staying there for years. She was the last of several.
The hotel planned to stop offering long-term accommodation. As they upgraded the hotel and raised prices, they felt they could not raise the room rate annually beyond the original budget and force out the resident who was on a fixed pension.
HOTELS
Advantages of Hotels
I can see the advantages of a hotel when you are fit and active. In fact, the swimming pool and gym of a hotel, and constant company and stimulus, could help you postpone dementia and depression. Ideal for the widow or widower who wants company.
Friendly Faces
What if you like familiar faces? You could move into adjacent rooms with a spouse or a friend. You could choose interconnecting rooms.
USA
Jewish Complex
When I lived in the USA, in Washington DC I visited a Jewish complex which had a residential home for the elderly linked by a walkway to an activity complex. the general building contained meeting rooms, a swimming pool and a library.
The complex was run like a country club. If you did not (yet) have a relative in the retirement home, you needed to invest in a single, couple or family annual membership to use the swimming pool. The families could visit on a Sunday morning where you could buy a bagel brunch beside the pool and read the free newspapers.
The advantages for residents included kosher food, sing-songs and activities.
DANGERS & DEMENTIA
Our relative, when widowed, had stayed in a block of one bedroom flats with a warden and weekly activities.
Retirement homes usually have emergency bells or regular checks on vulnerable residents.
We moved her into a retirement home which provided all meals when were living overseas and she started falling. It was not safe for her to be alone.
DEMENTIA
The situation got more urgent when she went missing. Her doctor advised us to call the local hospitals. For security reasons, the hospital would not tell me, the daughter-in-law, whether she was in the hospital.
We asked the doctor to check. Then my son, who was her grandson, and as a blood relative had more rights than I did, was able to get the information and visiting hours. She was released into his care.
She had checked herself into the hospital, which she thought was a hotel.
Retirement homes usually have emergency bells or regular checks on vulnerable residents.
NURSING HOMES
Nursing homes offer extras. For example, staff to help you dress, clean your teeth, and change the diaper (UK nappy) for the incontinent. They also supervise the taking of medication.
On the other hand, you can get health visitors to do daily visits or twice a day visits if you are living at home in London. Would they visit if you lived in a hotel?
FREE TRANSPORT
Currently (2019) London offers free transport to the elderly although they are considering removing that bonus.
I like the idea of using an airport shuttle bus for free transport and a change of scene, to try new restaurants.
Many big hotels offer free shuttle buses to major shopping centres.
HAPPY HOTELS!
To sum up, so long as you have your wits about you, you might consider retiring to your favourite hotel group. If you register as a frequent guest, they might give you upgrades and birthday cakes. The happy hour could keep you happy.
CRUISES
Other elderly people have sold up their home and gone on round the world cruises. What entertainment do you get? Daily dancing. Food and exercise. Entertainment programmes. Sport. Lots of company. See the world, without having to fly or pass medicals to fly.
SAVINGS & DISCOUNTS
You can also get discounts at some hotels for seniors. Some cities offer reduced price travel for seniors. you can get discounts at many hotels in the USA with membership of the AAA (American Automobile Association), the military and various other deals and discounts.
If you are looking for a hotel with extras:
Seaside hotels
Mountaintop hotels
I religiously read through five pages of comments. One person thought that you had to check out of a hotel on day 2 because otherwise the hotel is subject to landlord-tenant laws.
USEFUL WEBSITES
https://www.extendedstayamerica.com/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6743907/Man-says-hell-spend-golden-years-Holiday-Inn-not-nursing-home.html
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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