Urban legend or kernel of truth?
Well, maybe a little of both. It could be a real option. Bea Muller was a resident of the QE2 for at least 5 years. Claire Macbeth lived on a Cunnard ship for 14 years!
In 2005 a Northwestern University geriatrician calculated the costs of living on a cruise ship vis a vis a retirement home, and did not find what I would call a significant difference. Prices have no doubt changed since then, but I would expect the relative difference to not have changed a lot. Would be interesting to get an update.
Not for me, though. I would not be willing to accept the significant drawbacks - isolation from friends and family, no access to skilled nursing care, possibility of getting the Norovirus, claustrophobic accommodations, no place to charge my portable drill. Could be a viable substitute for an independent living retirement community if you like that sort of thing, but not a substitute for assisted living facility. Remember the hierarchy of facilities as we age:
Living at home
Independent living retirement home
Assisted living facility
Nursing home
A ship could suffice for the first two levels, with limitations, but not the latter two where skilled care would be required.
There is a good piece on this at snopes (see attached url). Go to this link and read on.
http://www.snopes.com/travel/trap/retire.asp
Here is another link on the same subject.
http://www.silverplanet.com/lifestyles/retirement-living/cruise-ships-different-way-retire/46559
Michael
Here is a reference to an article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
ReplyDeleteAbstract:
Options for elderly patients who can no longer remain independent are limited. Most choices involve assisted living facilities, 24-hour caregivers, or nursing homes. State and federal assistance for payment for individual care is limited, and seniors usually pay for most costs out of pocket. For those patients who have the means to afford assisted living centers or nursing homes, “cruise ship care” is proposed. Traveling alongside traditional tourists, groups of seniors would live on cruise ships for extended periods of time. Cruise ships are similar to assisted living centers in the amenities provided, costs per month, and many other areas. This article begins with an examination of the needs of seniors in assisted living facilities and then explores the feasibility of cruise ship care in answering those needs. Similarities between cruise ship travel and assisted living care, as well as the monetary costs of both options, are defined. A decision tree with selections for nonindependent care for seniors was created including cruise ship care as an alternative. Using a Markov model over 20 years, a representative cost-effectiveness analysis was performed that showed that cruises were priced similarly to assisted living centers and were more efficacious. Proposed ways that cruise ship companies could further accommodate the needs of seniors interested in this option are also suggested. Implementation for cruise ship care on the individual basis is also presented. Ultimately, it is wished to introduce a feasible and possibly more desirable option to seniors who can no longer remain independent.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52525.x/full
Lindquist, L. A. and Golub, R. M. (2004), Cruise Ship Care: A Proposed Alternative to Assisted Living Facilities. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52: 1951–1954. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52525.x
You will need to buy the journal in order to see the full article.