Long stay
Independence with care, for as long as you want it
A long stay is six months or more. There is no longer contract than that, and no minimum term beyond it. People arrive intending one thing and stay for years, which is the arrangement we are set up for.
The idea
Not a boarding school for the elderly
Most long stay residents want to keep as much independence in their life as possible, even as their health requires more care to be available. Preserving dignity is the point of the whole arrangement.
Reduced mobility usually reduces social opportunities, and we work against that by including everyone as far as is possible. Independence with care is designed to allow a level of freedom, social gatherings, activities and stimulation, alongside 24-hour care support.
"People have the feeling, certainly as you get older, that you're going to be stuck in a room in a lounge playing bingo once a week … whereas you just can't compare it." Peter Mallard, resident · The Telegraph
Where you live
Your own villa, in the gardens, with your own front door
There are 58 villa rooms across the resort, plus the five-room dementia unit. Most accommodation is villas built in a modern Thai style, decorated inside in the same style to keep the rooms light and restful. Each villa has a terrace with garden, mountain or lake views.
Every villa includes:
- Air conditioning, and its own bathroom
- A refrigerator and drink making facilities
- Television with Thai, Western and Asian channels: movies, news, sport and entertainment, plus a DVD player and access to a large DVD library
- A telephone
- Push and pull emergency alarms connected directly to the central nursing station
- A terrace with furniture, for sitting outside
Villa types range from one-bedroom studios to two-room and three-room villas, and there are two penthouse suites. Room types are shown on the photographs page as Garden Room Type 1, Garden Room Type 2 and Lakeside Villa.
Wi-Fi covers the resort and is available in every villa.
Meals
Meal periods, not mealtimes
Meals are cooked in our own kitchens and served in the guest restaurant, or delivered to your room. There are no set mealtimes, only broad bands: breakfast runs from 07:00 until 10:00 and you come when you are ready. Nobody is compelled to eat as a group, though most people do.
The menu runs across Western, Thai, other Asian and vegetarian cooking, with a focus on healthy eating and a wide choice. The kitchen works to ethnic, religious and dietary requirements on request.
The restaurant has an air-conditioned inside section and outdoor seating with garden views, and disabled access to both.
The care
Not rationed, and set by what you need
We do not limit care, we tailor it. Every day a resident is visited about their health, welfare and happiness, and the nursing and care staff do rounds through the day.
- Blood pressure checked daily, with blood sugar and other checks as needed
- Medication managed for you, including injection regimes, if required
- If a resident does not appear for a meal without notice, someone goes and checks. Most residents are collected for meals anyway
- Hospital visits are normally accompanied by our staff
Thailand does not run a general practitioner system. Care goes directly to specialists, and Chiang Mai has a number of world-class hospitals, most within a thirty minute drive.
The days
Modern thinking says routine and activity matter, so we build days around them
Activities run seven days a week under a qualified activities supervisor, and you join the ones you feel like:
- Arts and crafts, needle crafts, photography
- Card and board games, quizzes, group games
- Singing, and birthdays and major holidays including Christmas are marked
- Gardening, with a small plot next to your villa if you want one
- Fishing on the lake
- Cooking
- Swimming in either of the two pools, the fitness room, and the sauna
- Computer skills, taught to whoever wants them
The resort is large enough to walk in properly, with hundreds of trees, a lake, fishponds and birdlife. Residents who want to leave the resort independently are encouraged to, and are given an emergency phone if they do not already have one.
Weekly shopping trips run, and there is a monthly excursion for sightseeing or an activity. Chiang Mai has more than enough to fill them.
Access
Honest about the slopes
The resort has slopes, and it is not an ideal site for a wheelchair. We say so rather than discover it with you on the day. What we have done about it:
- Purpose-built villas designed for disabled use, plus adapted villas
- All of them step-free, with 90cm (35in) doors
- Ramp access to the restaurant, guest lounge and activity room, library, fitness room, spa and health facilities
- Ramp access to the larger of the two swimming pools, and a disabled lift into the water
- A hydraulic wheelchair lift on the minibus, so nobody is left behind on excursions
- Staff assist where needed
Only the two penthouse suites are reached by steps.
Not just the resident
Partners, friends and visiting family
We welcome friends or partners who want to stay together even when only one of them needs care. The range of villa types means there is normally a suitable arrangement.
We encourage relatives and friends to visit and spend real time here. If they want to stay over, there is accommodation for them, and people travelling from abroad often take a holiday around the visit.
Common questions
What long stay families ask
If the one you need is not here, ask us directly. We would rather answer it properly than have you guess.
What does it cost?
Fees are quoted individually rather than listed, because they depend on the level of care assessed and the villa chosen. In the resort's own words: we purposely do not publish pricing on the website because our pricing depends on the level of care necessary and the room type chosen, we prefer to discuss what you, or your relative, needs. For context, comparable residential care in the UK, United States and Australia commonly runs from around USD 8,000 to 15,000 a month. Care in Thailand is considerably less than that, though it is not cheap.
How long is the contract?
A long stay is six months or more. No longer contract than that is required.
What happens if care needs increase?
Nothing needs to change. Care is not rationed and staff numbers are set by the care needed. People move between independent living and close care without moving out.
Is there a visa for this?
Yes, and we help. The Thai retirement visa and the banking process behind it are complicated, and we assist with all visa and banking requirements so residents and their families do not have to navigate it alone. Once the visa is granted in Thailand there is no requirement to leave the country periodically, but it does need renewing annually.
What about medical insurance?
Thai medical insurance reflects the much lower cost of treatment here, and it is worth comparing against costs at home. Many people in Thailand simply pay for care as it arises, which is common practice. We can provide quotations for Thai medical insurance.
Can my husband or wife come too, if they don't need care?
Yes. Couples and friends stay together regularly.
Come and see it
Six months is a long time to commit to a website
Come and walk around, eat a meal, and talk to the staff who would be looking after you. Please book an appointment first: unannounced visits pull carers away from residents.