Mother-In-law needs our help and in poor health - Questions on visiting, physicians, etc

[MassGuy]

My 70-something year old mother in law (a US citizen) has been living in Argentina for 30+ years as an ExPat. We haven't seen her in years (long story) but understand through a friend of hers that her health has deteriorated lately. She does not tell us anything and likes to pretend that all is positive so my wife is planning to fly there but I/we would appreciate some guidance beforehand.

1. How safe is it to travel to Buenos Aires? Seems safe per the State department and other posts here but my wife wanted to make sure it was on par with large cities in the US rather than travel destinations like in Mexico.
- Also, any suggestions on things to not do? Are taxis fine or is it recommended to hire a private car? And if the latter, how?

2. is it possible to pay for a physician to make a house call or schedule an appointment for her outside the national health system to expedite an evaluation? If so, how is this done? Especially if/when my wife arrives and would like to get her seen within a few days of arrival to figure out how severe matters are.

3. A long-shot question, she loves her dogs but they would not be able to come with her if she ends up having to leave Argentina for the US (two are feral/wild) and she likely would live with my sister in law who cannot have dogs. In that case, are there organizations she could trust to re-home the dogs?

Thank you very much!

 

[Khilljr]

Overall I would say Buenos Aires is pretty safe. You may her of pick pockets and thieves and things, but from my experience having lived in Detroit, Columbus, and Houston, it's overall as safe or safer with the general big city precautions.

Health system-wise, our experience here is actually been better than the US for general care. Insurance is faster and out-of-pocket costs are lower than the US (assuming you're paying in dollars or in blue). My wife just had a relatively major surgery at Hospital Aleman (German Hospital) and the treatment was very good. I haven't been anywhere else, but I don't think I would go anywhere other than Hospital Aleman because out experiences there have been great.

I don't know about the dog question. I left mine with my parents in the US when I moved here last year. I would say people LOVE dogs here and I would be surprised if there wasn't somewhere to help.

 

[Lanick]

Having dealt with my Argentine mother in law for the last two years who recovered from cancer and the side effects of chemo; I can wholeheartedly say that the medical services in Argentina are an fab. Private medical care is very very affordable. If she’s been living here for that long she might have an insurance which takes care most of the bills.
Argentina is very safe but that does not mean nothing will happen. Just keep an eye and don’t flash your valuables. Download an app called Cabify which in my opinion is the best taxi app. A 10 miles journey cost me yesterday around US$ 5. So it’s not worth renting a car. Haven’t used my credit/debit cards here but some people said they get the actual blue rate for their purchases with their US/European cards. I didn’t want to take chances so I came with cash (dollars).

 

[Silvie]

1. How safe is it to travel to Buenos Aires? Seems safe per the State department and other posts here but my wife wanted to make sure it was on par with large cities in the US rather than travel destinations like in Mexico.
- Also, any suggestions on things to not do? Are taxis fine or is it recommended to hire a private car? And if the latter, how?

Rule number one: do not use gold jewellery or golden bijouterie and do not display a cell phone in public.
I use Uber and taxis a lot but prefer Uber because the drivers in general are more polite and there is more control. Always pay Uber in cash otherwise they love to decline the trips. From the EZE airport it is great to reserve a private remise service from any of the counters inside before getting out.

 

[MassGuy]

Thanks everyone! Planning trip now...

 

[MJQuaero]

Overall I would say Buenos Aires is pretty safe. You may her of pick pockets and thieves and things, but from my experience having lived in Detroit, Columbus, and Houston, it's overall as safe or safer with the general big city precautions.

Health system-wise, our experience here is actually been better than the US for general care. Insurance is faster and out-of-pocket costs are lower than the US (assuming you're paying in dollars or in blue). My wife just had a relatively major surgery at Hospital Aleman (German Hospital) and the treatment was very good. I haven't been anywhere else, but I don't think I would go anywhere other than Hospital Aleman because out experiences there have been great.

I don't know about the dog question. I left mine with my parents in the US when I moved here last year. I would say people LOVE dogs here and I would be surprised if there wasn't somewhere to help.

Hola, my fiancé is nurse. She is very good at assessing what needs to be done. She recently helped a diabetic woman keep her foot. She has worked public hospitals until now. She is on leave. I shared your message with her.