Bringing a 77 year old friend to live in Argentina

[Bajo_cero2]

Without a DNI,he will have to leave Argentina, every 90 days..
.

No.

Hospital Aleman enrolls him but it is going to be expensive.

 

[nikad]

Any private insurance will enroll him but it will be very expensive. The law says they cannot discriminate but leaves the door open for them to charge what they want to the elderly. It is different when you are already enrolled. The only one that I know of that is more generous about plans for the elderly is Hospital Italiano but I am not sure if they will take memebrs up to 70 or 80 years old.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

He could get short term travel insurance.

The UK experience is that over 65s (in some cases over 67s) find it difficult but not quite impossible to get travel insurance but the cost rises steeply with age and usually is limited to 30 or so days away and only non-pre-existing conditions will be covered. To Pablo: Good luck. This is such a positive and uplifiting thing you want to do that I really hope you find a way through all the difficulties.

 

[steveinbsas]

Without a DNI,he will have to leave Argentina, every 90 days.

It is possible to extend the 90 day tourist visa by 90 days at migraciones. This can only be done once. After that he would have to leave Argentina or, as a result of the DNU 70/2017, his immigration status would become "illegal" (instead of irregular as it would have before the decree).

I thought that the last Argentina President C-FK signed something to the effect that there would be no age discrimination,when applying for medical insurance.

As Chris mentioned in the previous post, the decree (or law as the case may be) was that the insurance companies could not arbitrarily raise rates (more than "normal" on anyone over 65 that had been insured for ten years.

I think that his moving to Argentina would be a mistake. Not knowing Spanish will be a big problem.A 77 year old will not learn Spanish.That would be one of many problems.What the heck is a kilo?

Agreed. Not knowing Spanish could be a huge problem. If he doesn't speak Spanish how is he going to be able to communicate with a doctor or dentist when the need arises? How will he be able to ask for something he wants in a grocery store or pharmacy?

At least is will be easy to learn what "No hay." means when he asks for items he can easily find in the USA but aren't available here. "No hay." will most likely also apply to English speaking "expat groups" if he will be living in La Plata.

I know I am am generalizing, but I think finding Argentines who would be interested in developing a meaningful level of friendship with a 77 year old North American who doesn't speak Spanish will be quite difficult.

I think that he should try to find a place to live in the U.S., where seniors pay low rent . There are probably senior social groups at churches in his area.

Pablo didn't mention where Roy is currently living so it's difficult to know what his cost of living is in the USA. Does being "all alone" mean he has no friends where he lives? Does he drive? Does he have any social activities there? If he doesn't I would guess that's a matter of personal choice.

The idea of coming for a visit before deciding to make a long term move is a great idea, if Roy can do so without permanently giving up whatever living arrangement he has now as well as disposing of any furniture and "excess" he presently owns and would not bring to Argentina...stuff that might be "costly" to replace if he returns to the US.

Pablo indicated he would be willing to deposit $1000 USD per month into Roy's US bank account to help him qualify for the pensioner visa, but there's no specific amount mentioned on the migraciones website. I know it's possible to qualify with less than $30,000 pesos per month, but I don't know how much less they will accept.

If migraciones actually required an monthly income of $30,000 pesos for the visa pensionado, I doubt they would accept a "promise" of a third party to deposit the additional funds into the retiree's US bank account to meet the income requirement. It would not be considered a "stable" or "uninterruptible" source of funds.

 

[chris]

First of all I have to ask Pablo if he is really serious. He's going to deposit U$S 1,000 into his friend's account monthly? That's a huge amount of money in Argentina. Pablo has to be very well off to have that much spare change. Secondly, is Pablo willing to devote a LOT of time to this American? He's going to be very needy in a strange country where few speak English -- even fewer in La Plata. The poor guy will be totally dependent on Pablo.

As for medical care, the American will have to depend on public hospitals. That means giving up the first world care he gets under Medicare. I doubt he'll be able to afford private coverage in Argentina. He'll also have to forfeit all the benefits Seniors get in the US - free or reduced fare transport in cities, subsidized housing for low income Seniors, food stamps for low income people, Medicaid services such as home care aides (free under Medicaid) etc. Despite its image as a "savage capitalist" country, the US has a vast umbrella of senior social services -- some municipal, some state sponsored, federal or private. I know because I've had to manage these for my mother and I've helped other Seniors as well. Then there is the social aspect. La Plata is provincial compared to BA - and even BA is not very international compared to parts of Europe. Relatively few speak English even in the capital. He will not have access to a senior center, to churches where English is spoken, etc. In Mexico he could settle in an expat community like San Miguel de Allende or Ajijic and have the company of thousands of Americans and Canadians and quite a lot of expat sponsored activities but in La Plata he will be on his own except for the company of Pablo - and Pablo might find the responsibility daunting. And of course all of this depends on his ability to get a residence visa which is not too likely. I think the idea, if it's even serious, is crazy.

 

[Ceviche]

First of all I have to ask Pablo if he is really serious. He's going to deposit U$S 1,000 into his friend's account monthly?

Its pocket change - when you are doing it for a mentor who had a major impact on your life. You clearly fail to understand the plot.

 

[steveinbsas]

Its pocket change - when you are doing it for a mentor who had a major impact on your life. You clearly fail to understand the plot.

Pablo is clearly a very caring and generous individual and he should be admired for his dedication to his old friend and mentor, but there's a crucial difference between Pablo's motives of providing an apartment for Roy to live in as well as depositing $1000 per month into Roy's US bank account and the actual "plot" of the story of what Roy' life would be like in Argentina compared to the USA.

I agree with what Chris wrote about the "seniors" benefits Roy would lose if he left the USA, but he wouldn't have access to those benefits in Mexico, either. Roy didn't start this topic so we have no reason to believe he has a burning desire to live in any country south of the border.

Though he would have Pablo's friendship in La Plata it's difficult to imagine that he would enjoy life there. His life would be a constant struggle to cope with people who could not understand him and even he could express what he wants with a few words of basic Spanish, it's doubtful that they would ever understand why the hell he ever left the USA to live in Argentina.

PS: If Roy does come for a visit I suggest he makes sure his travel insurance includes coverage for the cost of a "life flight" back to the USA if he becomes seriously ill in Argentina.

 

[chris]

Its pocket change - when you are doing it for a mentor who had a major impact on your life. You clearly fail to understand the plot.

U$S 1,000 is not pocket money. It's a great deal of money both in Argentina and the US. It's a serious commitment. If for any reason including a decline in income Pablo cannot continue this contribution, his American friend would be in trouble, especially as he ages and gives up what he has in the US.

I only mentioned Mexico because in expat communities there you can find lots of companionship and activities and you're fairly close to the US if you need to return for health care or personal reasons. That would not be the case in Argentina.

As I said earlier, my mother expressed an interest in living in Argentina and I considered it but the difficulties that would result were overwhelming.

 

[nikad]

Seriously moving a senior to another country where you cannot even speak the language is something extremely difficult. The reason why we remain in BsAs is my grandmother who is 89. Her children died. I am her only family. I think it would be unfair to ask her to go to a foreign place where getting medical insurance at that age is just as difficult, and if that weren't the case, the language/culture differences are enormous for a senior.

 

[TomAtAlki]

Some 77 year olds are old, some aren’t. I’m 72 and am not feeling “old”. Hike 7 days including a 15,000 ft pass in Peru last year.

As for medical. I don’t have insurance here. Medical help is fairly cheap and if it’s too serious I’ll fly to Miami for a VA hospital or Medicare.

Please don’t underestimate or patronize your “senior citizen” friends. Good on you OP.

T/