Death as an Expat

[Tukaram (Tim)]

6 hours ago, jpbago said:

It is better to erase "than" to read: It is better to live a long full life.

Wishing for a short life seems foolish.

Yes, within reason.  But my brother had a glioblastoma brain tumor (100% mortality rate).  He could have had an operation to extend his life about 6 or 8 months - and be in extreme pain.  Or, skip the operation and die within 2 months - but be comfortable.  Simple choice for all of us (some families choose poorly). We made his last couple months as comfortable as we could. 

Most of our lives don't have such a black & white choice as that, but it is really the same thing.  You generally don't know when you will die, so it is best to enjoy the time you have. 

Does moving to a 3rd world country shorten our lives? Most likely yes.  Does it give us a more fulfilling life? Each of us has to answer that for ourselves.

[robert k]

1 hour ago, Jack Peterson said:

Odd that Robert, I am reading a novel now based on History that is saying just that.

Common throughout history. First sack of Rome is a good case in point. Both sides lost that one. 

[hk blues]

I have zero medical knowledge, or data to back up my logic but here goes...

I'm not sure there is enough of a sample size to suggest people die here earlier than they would have had they stayed in their home country. How can we really be sure of this other than relying on the "it's obvious" argument.

Most of us moved here in our later years - this means we have presumeably had plenty years of superior healthcare to help us in later years. Most Filipinos have not had this advantage, so I'd expect their mortality rates to be lower. 

I do agree the general environment almost certainly shaves off some time, but I'm not so sure if this is significant or not. I'd also counter that the damp,,wet and miserable weather in many of our home countries can't be good for us - and that's ignoring the often poor diet. 

I prefer to take the view that our body is a machine, and the better care we take of it the longer it will last - the environmental factors probably account for a small ×/- only in the grand scheme of things.

My view might be coloured by my philosophy that I want to die once I get old, not a minute before!

[Gratefuled]

1 hour ago, hk blues said:

My view might be coloured by my philosophy that I want to die once I get old, not a minute before!

Or before I get too too old

[AlwaysRt]

30 minutes ago, Gratefuled said:

Or before I get too too old

oh yes, once things don't work anymore huh? 

[Dave Hounddriver]

4 hours ago, hk blues said:

I'm not sure there is enough of a sample size to suggest people die here earlier than they would have had they stayed in their home country. How can we really be sure of this other than relying on the "it's obvious" argument.

Well that part seems simple to me.  If I have 30 friends back in Canada in my approximate age bracket and none of them have died in the last 10 years, and I move hear and make a similar number of new friends and 10 of them die in 10 years, "its obvious" 

[Mark Berkowitz]

On 6/7/2017 at 3:26 PM, Tukaram (Tim) said:

Does moving to a 3rd world country shorten our lives? Most likely yes.  Does it give us a more fulfilling life? Each of us has to answer that for ourselves.

For me, this is true!... After all, at my age (63), I'm really having much more fun in the Philippines than I would be having back home in suburban Washington, DC... plus, getting old is overrated anyway.

[earthdome]

On 6/13/2017 at 0:06 AM, hk blues said:

I have zero medical knowledge, or data to back up my logic but here goes...

I'm not sure there is enough of a sample size to suggest people die here earlier than they would have had they stayed in their home country. How can we really be sure of this other than relying on the "it's obvious" argument.

Most of us moved here in our later years - this means we have presumeably had plenty years of superior healthcare to help us in later years. Most Filipinos have not had this advantage, so I'd expect their mortality rates to be lower. 

I do agree the general environment almost certainly shaves off some time, but I'm not so sure if this is significant or not. I'd also counter that the damp,,wet and miserable weather in many of our home countries can't be good for us - and that's ignoring the often poor diet. 

I prefer to take the view that our body is a machine, and the better care we take of it the longer it will last - the environmental factors probably account for a small ×/- only in the grand scheme of things.

My view might be coloured by my philosophy that I want to die once I get old, not a minute before!

One factor to consider is that most of us expats from western countries have excellent emergency medical care in your home country unless you live in a very remote area. A medical emergency you would survive in your home country can result in your death in the Philippines due to how much longer it can take to start receiving emergency medical care. Where I live in the US, within a few miles of two hospitals, I expect an ambulance with highly trained EMT's could reach me in under 5 minutes.

[Jack Peterson]

10 minutes ago, earthdome said:

I expect an ambulance with highly trained EMT's could reach me in under 5 minutes.

What a wonderful Thought My  

[Kuya John]

To return to Dave's concerns as an Expat in Philippines.

Just prior to my wedding in Cagayan 2004 I developed Pneumonia, I put it down to extreme temperature changes going from hot to cold.

Being in the warm/hot sunshine then entering a freezing cold air con car, mall or even at night in a bedroom with the air con dropping the temperature 10-15 degrees;

I also experienced the same in Toronto during a heat wave of near 40 returning to a house set at 18-20 degrees, not wishing to offend my hosts, I ended once again with Pneumonia. So yes as we get older we can't adapt so quickly to temperature changes, hence now when visiting Phil; I avoid air con as much as possible and rely on just an oscillating fan

Edited June 15, 2017 by Kuya John
changed to oscillating fan