“I recently had to put my aged aunt into an assisted-living facility. Right now, my aunt can get by with minimal assisted care, but there are nurses available if and when she needs them.
“In other words, in the United States, we have hospice/nursing home care, but it is extremely expensive. Does Panama have these kinds of facilities?
“I understand that the Panamanian medical insurance is very affordable, but aside from the hospitals, what other facilities are there? My aunt deserves to live out her days in beautiful Panama.”
—Lin S., United States
Assisted Living Homes In Panama
Panama has very few assisted living homes for the elderly, both private and public.
The private facility that we recommend is Residencial Casa Blanca Home Care Adulto Mayor. They offer long term or temporary residency programs, and provide personalized quality care for each of their residents. You can check their website and social media to get a better idea of what they offer their resident. They constantly post about their senior residents, their routines, therapies, and events.
Panamanians are very family-centered, however, there is a social problem regarding the elderly. Since the elderly tend to become child-like by demanding attention and care, they often become a burden to their family. Usually, the family can’t take care of them or can’t afford to pay an in-house nurse to care for them. Often times, their solution is to leave them at assisted living homes. Sadly, the elderly is often treated with disgust.
“Elder abuse is a single and repeated act, or omission that causes harm or distress and that occurs in any relationship where there is an expectation of trust.” This happens when they’re left to be taken care of by strangers.
Most assisted living facilities in Panama are, quite frankly, sad. A better option (thought more expensive) would be to hire a nurse to care for your elderly at home. A nurse in Panama charges US$80 per eight-hour shifts. A trained helper, which you can find at a hospital, will charge between US$50 to US$70 per eight-hour shifts. In both cases you have cover their food and transportation expenses.
A live-in nurse can cost between US$1,200 to US$2,000; you’d have to negotiate their salary with them and include their meals and one day off per week.
