No nursing home for me..
By tredale
@tredale (1309)
Australia
June 21, 2007 9:09am CST
There will be no nursing home for me after reading this!!!
No Nursing Home for Me
About 2 years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also noticed that all the staff, ships officers, waiters, busboys, etc., all seemed very familiar with this lady. I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told that she owned the liner, but he said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises, back-to-back.
As we left the dining room one evening I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said, "I understand you've been on this ship for the last four cruises". She replied, "Yes, that's true." I stated, "I don't understand" and she replied, without a pause, "It's cheaper than a nursing home".
So, there will be no nursing home in my future. When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess Cruise Ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. I have checked on reservations on a Princess and I can get a long term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:
1. Gratuities which will only be $10 per day.
2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast-in-bed every day of the week).
3. Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers, and shows every night.
4. They have free toothpaste and razors, and free soap and shampoo.
5. They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
6. I will get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days
7. T.V. broken? Light bulb needs changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No Problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.
8. Clean sheets and towels every day, and you don't even have to ask for them.
9. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip you are on Medicare; if you fall and break a hip on the Princess ship they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.
Now hold on for the best! Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, or name where you want to go?Princess will have a ship ready to go. So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call shore to ship. PS: And don't forget, when you die, they just dump you over the side -- at no charge.
8 people like this
17 responses
@daydreamblues (129)
•
21 Jun 07
Wow that sounds brilliant, even though my retirement is a long way off, I will take your advise. Though the only downside is that unless they come with you, you might not see family members very often. Still sounds better than a retirement home. Oh you forgot to mention another advantage, cause all the retirement homes Ive been to smell like cabbage or something, so I bet the cruise ship will smell much nicer.
2 people like this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
25 Jun 07
Well! That is certainly food for thought!!:) But I would probably rent a cheap room somewhere, as my nest egg may likely be sorta low..
1 person likes this
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
22 Jun 07
LOL—this is great- A nursing home costs more than a cruise- I’m game for living the rest of my life on a cruise ship also- when I’m older- much better than a nursing home- You can tour the world and be treated great! I’m all for it- I loved this post!
1 person likes this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
23 Jun 07
LOL. That's very well thought plan, especially the last journey. I salute you *salute*
Thanks for the analysis. It is really another source of consideration should one is in a dilema as to where to go - a nursing home or where. Staying onboard a cruise ship is definitely better than at a "home". Of course, own home is still better when one retires. lol.
1 person likes this
@yemberzal (301)
• India
23 Jun 07
In a society where sons and daughters do not have time to look after their parents, the lady has opted for a novel way which is economically better but at the same time, she remains cut off from the land, it may be some times disturbing. However, she does not enjoy company of any person whom she is related though she gets attention of staff and some curious passengers on board. It is disgusting, we, people living in Asia call it a misfortune not for lady but for her family, who do not love the lady and take good care of her. If this policy is continued ,women will give the birth and leave the infant on roads and by lanes.
1 person likes this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
22 Jun 07
sounds really exciting... the only thing that i think is i will be missing my family and my close friends on the land... :-)
1 person likes this
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
22 Jun 07
Sign me up, daughter and I talked about this and it seems a sweet deal. Breaking a bone though is too painful for me to think about. Burial at sea would definitely work for me. If I could have books then it would be a great deal for me. I have always wished to travel and never could. When old that is the perfect time and you never know I might meet some younger man that could help me to spend some time. hahahah. Thanks for sharing.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
21 Jun 07
WOW! My plans have changed. Thank you for sharing this....Land Ahoy!
1 person likes this
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
22 Jun 07
I can see the point the old woman was making, but this is a little unrealistic. In Australia, the only people who get into nursing homes, are chronicaly sick people, who need nursing & medical care, as well as help with daily tasks..
There is no way a cruise ship would take a person who was at the nursing home stage. This women may get her meals provided, and some in hiouse service,but she wouldn't get nurses looking after her.
Of course, the point is, nursing homes are very expensive, ridiculously so. My Mother i law is near the stage of a nursing home,& when this happwens, she will need to go in a State run one, as she only gets the pension.
Some of my family members never needed nursing homes, although I think my Mother will.
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
22 Jun 07
Brilliant idea :-) I'm just 4 years short of retirement and this sounds like a good deal to me! Providing I could take my cats with me of course...
1 person likes this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
22 Jun 07
That is crazy to think that a nursing home would cost more then to go aboard a cruise ship all the time . This won't work for me though as I am scared of the water but is definitely scary to think what they are charging people to be in an old folks home . On a cruise ship you are waited on all the time and in a home you would be lucky to get the attention of someone passing by .
1 person likes this
@twils2 (1812)
• United States
22 Jun 07
This would be a great idea but I wonder if you can get your insurance to cover a cruise ship as assisted living expences. I think the insurance companies would be saving a fortune if they could use this to their advantage. I would love to do something like this when I retire. Take care, Terry
1 person likes this
@tdbrower1969 (1242)
• United States
22 Jun 07
This is great, I loved this discussion. This would be great for those elderly people that their family seem to just put them in a nursing home so they won't be a bother. I know that really most people that require a nursing home would not be able to do this, but it would be a nice way to spend the rest of your life instead of in a nursing home if you were able to. Thanks for posting this, I thought it was a great discussion!
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
21 Jun 07
hahahaha. I loved this discussion. Especially the ending. I am serious I will not be placed in a home. Neither will my father. Unless either of us becomes unmanagable to tend to. I take care of my ailing father right now and have been for 3+ years. Not an easy chore to say the least.
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@superchook (1786)
• Australia
21 Jun 07
This sounds like a fantastic idea, might have to look into this, lol!
1 person likes this
@terri0824 (4991)
• United States
21 Jun 07
This sure does sound a lot more inviting than a nursing home and cheaper at that. And I know the ship will smell a lot better than a nursing home does, as someone has mentioned in this discussion. I won't have to worry about this any time soon though.
1 person likes this
