The
Filipinos are the biggest selling point of the country—not the beaches,
hotels and resorts, various shopping opportunities, unique cuisines, or
the relatively good private health-care system.
Filipinos are well known for their hospitality, bright smiles and friendly nature. They provide a warm welcome to the visitors.
They
also have the best grasp of the English language among all the
countries in the region, making it easier for foreigners to communicate
when they are in the country.
Filipinos
also provide a “human touch” in attending to their elderly. It is the
exact opposite of what is currently happening in the western world where
senior citizens are living in assisted-living facilities.
It
is the “human touch” which makes up for what the Philippines is lacking
in terms of geriatric care expertise and knowledge that can be found in
developed countries.
Many
seniors in Europe feel is1olated with their children predictably only
visiting them only during Christmas and their birthdays.
Foreign
retirees living in the Philippines certainly do not feel any loneliness
because of the tight relationships a community in any part of the
country forms.
This
is also the reason why more assisted living facilities and nursing
homes are being established in the country as compared to 2002.
There
are now facilities in Cebu, Iloilo, Laguna, Manila, Subic and Tagaytay
with more being built in key cities across the country.
These
facilities have two distinct advantages over those that can be found in
developed countries—the price performance ratio and the more than
competent capabilities of the Filipino caregivers.
Assisted-living
facilities and nursing homes in the Philippines are more similar to a
family home. The facilities here are also smaller, usually only having
four to 10 rooms—a concept that is now also being imitated in developed
countries.
Caregivers
and nurses from the Philippines are also very much in-demand in other
countries with 70 percent of nursing graduates now working abroad.
Here in the Philippines, caregivers are not only doing their jobs, they are also building relationships with their patients.
Filipinos
definitely have the ability to make even an unfamiliar place feel like
home in less than a day, enabling foreign retirees to adapt very fast to
their new surroundings.
When
marketing the Philippines as a retirement and health-care destination,
it mostly involves real estate, beaches, accommodations, health care and
lifestyle. But let us not forget to highlight the most important
component this country has to offer—its people.
For latest update on real estate
development and its RA 9646, the Real Estate Service Act of 2009, visit
www.ra9646.com.
Marc Daubenbuechel is the executive director of the Retirement &
Healthcare Coalition. He is also a project manager at the European
Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. For your comments, e-mail
daubenbuechel@eccp.com
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