Assisted Living in CR

[costaricabuilder]

I had the opportunity to visit Jo Stuart at the assisted living facility in Belen and she gave me a tour of the residences as well as the Spanish Club that's right next door. The folks who live in the residences have use of all the amenities of the club and it is very impressive. I have swum at Ojo de Agua and the Cariari Country Club and I can assure you that the Spanish Club is much cleaner and more modern. The residences which are operated by the Spanish cultural association are available to all persons sixty-five and older and one monthly fee includes everything. All Meals, utilities, telephone,internet connection, on-site nursing, physical therapy and private transportation to run errands. Jo's one bedroom apartment for $1000 per month was ample for a single person and some couples share this size of unit which is larger than those available for $800 per month. She even has a nice sized covered porch accessible through a screen door from her kitchen. There is no deposit or upfront fee's required to live in the unfurnished residences so they are reasonably priced. I was very impressed with the well constructed apartments and the covered living areas where the residents and their guests can sit and relax. I saw a large social room with tables and games, a comfortable dining room and physical therapy room with exercise equipment and wood floors for aerobics and other forms of exercise. The residence is Spanish style architecture with tile roofs and ceramic tiled walkways surrounded by beautiful gardens. Jo walks 500meters down the hill into the center of Belen to catch the bus to San Jose and is free to come and go whenever she pleases. While I was visiting I saw quite a few folks in wheel chairs with private nursing assistants to help them get along. Jo said that the private assistants are not included in the monthly fee and some of them live in the apartments with the seniors who need full time help. All in all it was a great experience to visit Jo and tour this excellent facility. By the way the Spanish Club, (Club Campestre Espanol) accepts new members who are willing to pay an initial $3000 to purchase stock in the facility and then pay18,000 colones per month. Photos of the assisted living facility as well as the Spanish Club can be seen at http://ticotomasino.spaces.live.com/

[Russ]

This is the only assisted living facility I know of in Costa Rica, it would be interesting to know if there are others, existing or planned.

[rod]

Hi, Peopleª
I can reseach this and get back to you. I know of one that is due to open this year that has been in development for the past decade, with much care, by an association headed by Marilyn Henderson. There are one or two others, I understand, but will have to look it up in the archives of The Tico Times, the English-language newspaper here.
Rod

[rod]

The assisted care facilities uncovered by The Tico Times researchers are:

FINCA FUTURO VERDE in a small community outside the Central Valley town of Grecia. It has space for six people and 10 day visitors, according the the facility's Josefa Corella.
Tel. (506) 494-5187
www.fincafuturoverde.com

VILLA ALEGRIA SKILLED NURSING CENTER The villa's Marjorie Romero says that they offer a combination of skilled nursing care and assisted living. Many (but not all) of the residents suffer from Alzheimer's. They are located in the country's second city, Alajuela.
Tel. (506) 433-8590
www.villaalegria.com
 
HOMEWATCH CARE GIVERS give assisted care attention right in the person's own home, according to business manager, Karol Jiminez.
Tel. (506) 201-5265
www.hwcentralamerica.com

PURA VIDA LIFE CARE, to open in January, 2008, is a project of Marilyn Henderson several years in development. She describes it as "a luxury resort community" in the mountains above Heredia near El Castillo Country Club. It consists of independent villas with a master bedroom suite, while the clubhouse has dining room, spa, pool and chapel. The resident occupies the villa for life and the is an entrance fee plus monthly maintenace charge.  A nurse is on duty 24/7, a doctor on call and a recovery facility, plus weekly housekeeping, etc.
Tel. (506) 267-7920
www.puravidalifecare.com

[blondienurse]

I am a Registered Nurse in the U.S. and I am also fluent in Spanish.  Some friends and I are contemplating relocating to CR and I am planning to visit in October. I would like to make the most of this 10 day trip. So, while  I'm looking forward to some R&R,  I would also like to find out more about the healthcare system in CR and if there are any job opportunities for foreign nurses.
Any advice on this subject will be greatly appreciated.

[Russ]

Thank you for participating in the forum!

The public health care system is pretty well-known and provides good service to the general population.  However I don't think foreign medical professionals would find much opportunity there, unless it was on a volunteer basis. 

There should be some good opportunities with private institutions and clinics. You can check with them to see if they can assist you in getting a work permit.  A growing segment in Costa Rica tourism is "medical tourism".  While traditionally dentistry and cosmetic surgery have drawn foreigners here due to lower prices, many other procedures are now becoming common.  Clinica Biblica has a department specializing in opening new areas to foreign medical tourists. 

The largest private hospitals are:
http://www.clinicabiblica.com/ Clinica Biblica
http://www.hospitalsanjose.net/  CIMA Hospital
http://www.hospitallacatolica.com/  Hospital Catolica

Some additional private clinics:
Bruncas Costa Rica Health Index
CR Internet Directory Health Index

[blondienurse]

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide these links for me.  I'll check them out and hopefully will get some favorable feedback.
I'm glad I visited this website!  I'm sure I'll be back for more!

[Russ]

You're welcome, no problem.  If you would like to post more details as to where your interests lie we be on the lookout for more specific information.

[blondienurse]

Hi Russ,
I found the links you sent me very helpful and I will definetely follow the one with Clinica Biblica.  They have a forum, but I wasn't successful in registering, so I'll try it again later.
Most of my nursing experience has been in psychiatric (or behavioral health as they've called it for some time).  I didn't see any info suggestive of this specialty in neither of the websites, although I'm sure there has to be such nursing field in CR.  Perhaps I should've mention this piece of information previously. 
Although I don't expect you to take any more of your time researching this topic for me,  I would appreciate anyone sharing what they know about the mental health system there.  I did noticed  in some postings someone mention something about  Alzeihmer's facilities. I deal wih many of these patients at present.
I work full time at a private hospital in Florida and since I'm what they call "a young 58 year old" I have no intentions of retiring in the immediate future.  Call me crazy, but I enjoy my job.  I feel that it allows me to make a positive contribution to my fellow man.
On the other hand, I'm not a workaholic either.  I work 16 hrs shifts, so I can have more free time during the week.
My interests are mostly outdoors, although I do enjoy reading.  I love gardening and do most of my yards landscaping and upkeep. I love the beach, as well as the mountains and I have every intention of learning more about bird watching! I prefer rural settings to city life, so I would like to ultimately settle in a small town instead of a big city.  I would not act like a tourist, but would be most happy to assymilate into the culture.
I am not into the latests trends or having the latests "toys".  I'm really trying to make a move towards a more simple way of living.  My motto is "less is best"
Sometimes I feel very out of place in this society, so that is one of the reasons I'm looking into making a life change.
I hope that this helps widen the scope into what I'm looking for.
Thanks again!

[Russ]

I sent this topic to the realtors to see if there were any new facilities in their areas, but apparently there aren't.  I was thinking that you would like the Atenas or Naranjo area, you might contact Isabelle Jones at Go Dutch Realty for information about that area.  Or here for listings Atenas
 Homes for Sale to get an idea of prices.

So being in a rural area near the Central Valley should afford you with plenty of opportunities in the coming decade.  Although you can also visit the Guanacaste area, because that would possibly attract similar facilities too.  That would be a good selling point I think for boomers, they could buy a beach as a second home to stay in while you visit your parents in the assisted living facility. 

My feeling is that for your trip in October you should spend a few days looking at different rural areas around San Jose to see which mountains and area you like.  Depending on the length of your trip you could make it into some of the areas around Liberia, which would put you close to the beaches but close to opportunities in Liberia too.