Nursing home vs. Holiday Inn...

[kadee79]

I think this guy has a great idea....that would work for many of us, but not all.  But it also might be a good idea for a 'jumping off' point while waiting for an opening at a nursing home.  As long as you don't have a LOT of major medical issues, I think it's a great idea.  You could get into one in your local area now, or even get into one closer to relatives.  At least it is something to think about & maybe explore/investigate.

Retirement is expensive. According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, households that are 65 or older spend an average of $45,756 per year, or roughly $3,800 a month. That's just $1,000 short of the average spent by all U.S. households combined. And considering that a GoBankingRates survey found 57 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings, people are looking to save money wherever they can.

Terry Robinson, from Spring, TX, has a pretty clever plan for the next stage in his life. Instead of heading to a retirement community, he's going to spend his twilight years at a Holiday Inn—and it'll be cheaper.

Robinson wrote a Facebook post detailing his retirement plans, which has since gone viral with over 105,000 shares and plenty of comments. He starts:

"No nursing home for us. We'll be checking into a Holiday Inn! With the average cost for a nursing home care costing $188.00 per day, there is a better way when we get old and too feeble." It seems like Terry has everything mapped out. First he checked on room rates to determine what money he'd have left after covering accommodations.

"I've already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn. For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it's $59.23 per night."

www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/man-plans-to-retire-to-holiday-inn-instead-of-nursing-home-because-it-s-cheaper/ar-AA1cnnCW?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=a5f586dbfce74ac4ad92d38426d2c379&ei=68

[Opti]

You go to the nursing home because you have to not that you want to. Did not read the article, but he does know that Holiday Inn is not going to get him meds several times a day, administer it, or clean him up if he poops himself. Right?

[clarkrl2]

The nursing home also includes meals and laundry services. They are expensive though.

[toomuchreality]

A while back, I read an article about a couple who claimed to have lived on a cruise ship for three years, because it was cheaper and they liked to travel.
Don't know how true it was. I didn't notice a lot of people following their lead though.

[Opti]

Want to see Hawaii? They have Holiday Inn there too. "

$322 with taxes and fees although it looks like maybe you can get a discount knocking it down to $248 a night. Princeton NJ is $85 a night with discount. However if you want to be on the NJ shore in season its $258 a night w/o discount. If you go on vacation from a nursing home with family, generally your room is there when you return. 

Kadee, you found a long running internet troll article. 


Viral post about Holiday Inn cheaper than a nursing home an internet staple since 2004

A Holiday Inn spokesman told KHOU, "There's no way to guarantee $59 a night because rates change constantly and are based on the hotel, region and location."



Holiday Inn also released a statement, responding to Robison's post, the television station reported.



"While we’re not certain how Mr. Robison arrived at his current budget calculations, we look forward to welcoming him when he reaches his ‘golden age.’ He did miss one big benefit in his long list of reasons to stay with us – kids eat for free at Holiday Inn. So that’s another excuse for the grandkids to come and visit."



Similar stories about alternatives to staying at nursing homes have appeared on the internet since 2004 and as recently 2016, the Houston Chronicle reported.
www.boston25news.com/news/trending-now/texas-man-picks-holiday-inn-over-nursing-home-for-retirement/925100904/

[toomuchreality]

Oy. 🙃

[Tennesseer]

While not needing a nursing home at this time, and able to afford it, some folks sell their homes and live year round on cruise ships.  Some of these cruise ship sail around the world.

[djAdvocate]

housing is expensive in the US.
consider housing elsewhere.
healthcare is cheaper elsewhere, too.
and in many cases, higher quality.

[swamp]

Holiday Inn isn’t going to wipe your ass 

[toomuchreality]

Jun 11, 2023 14:06:14 GMT -5 swamp said:

Holiday Inn isn’t going to wipe your ass 

You're correct, of course. But I really hope no one but me, ever has to wipe mine!

[Tennesseer]

Jun 11, 2023 1:33:13 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

A while back, I read an article about a couple who claimed to have lived on a cruise ship for three years, because it was cheaper and they liked to travel.
Don't know how true it was. I didn't notice a lot of people following their lead though.

Sorry. Didn't read all the posts before I posted about people living on cruise ships instead of brick and mortar buildings once they get older.

[thyme4change]

I think the problem with this discussion is the varying level of assisted living and the variety of health ailments that could land you in long term care. If you want out of your house and all the bullshit that comes with that, but are still physically and cognitively okay (or passable) - the hotel solution might be a great alternative. You are checked on daily, and his other points make sense - you can come and go via public transit, order food in, etc. If you need memory care - a hotel would be an absolute no. If you need physical care, the $5 tip he mentions won’t be adequate. But there are a lot of people who could do this as a transition between full autonomy and full care. I don’t know the stats on cost for “independent living for seniors” vs. full assisted care. He might be reinventing the wheel.

[kadee79]

One gal I know who had her mother in a nursing home In Wash. state up until just about a year ago...the cost was $6500 a month and as she was starting to show signs of dementia, it was going to go up.  And this was NOT the best place in the area, but the best one that had an opening at the time she needed to go in.

But...it's something to think about if you don't need all the services of a nursing home vs. assisted living.  One old gal I knew a few years ago was in assisted living...her costs were over $2000 a month, but that didn't include having her laundry done nor cleaning or food.  She had her own kitchenette, but if she chose to eat with other residents, then she was charged extra for those meals.  If she needed help cleianing, that was extra too.  If she couldn't take her laundry to a local laundromat & it was done at the assisted living facility...she was charged extra for that too.
And where she was staying was not the most expensive place in our area either, but it was nice.

[Sharon]

I worked with a man who lived in a local extended stay motel.  He said the cost was a little less than an apartment and they came in and cleaned once a week.  I think he lived there about 3 years before he got another job in another state.

[toomuchreality]

Jun 12, 2023 12:19:46 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 11, 2023 1:33:13 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

A while back, I read an article about a couple who claimed to have lived on a cruise ship for three years, because it was cheaper and they liked to travel.
Don't know how true it was. I didn't notice a lot of people following their lead though.

Sorry. Didn't read all the posts before I posted about people living on cruise ships instead of brick and mortar buildings once they get older.

No worries, at all. I thought you were sticking up for me/what I'd posted! Silly me.
Still not a problem.

[dannylion]

Not going to bother reading the article as it is clearly not based in reality.  

People in nursing homes are there because they are no longer capable of caring for themselves.  Many of them cannot get out of bed by themselves, cannot get to or use toilets or showers by themselves, cannot feed themselves, cannot get themselves out of the building in the event of a fire or other emergency.  They need meds, physical therapy care, wound care, assistance with dressing and activities of daily living.  

A Holiday Inn (or any other hotel or motel) is not going to provide any of those services.  They will clean the room once a day and call the authorities when they find you dead.  That's about it.  

[Artemis Windsong]

The resort we are in in AZ has a lot of people parked and not in nursing homes until forced to move.  There is neighbors who care that help out. 

The heat today was 112 degrees and that cannot be escaped indoors.  The heat is worse than the frigid cold.

[Tiny]

yeah. no.


No one talks about it but it's pretty common where I live. There are lots of people living in motels/hotels - usually the mom and pop ones. They rent by the week. They are one step from homelessness. Some of them bounce between the motel and a shelter (when times are bad for them and they cannot pay for a week at the motel/hotel.)

Back when there was a lot of debate about "living wages" and "guaranteed income" there were articles about people who couldn't afford housing.
It was a surprising mix of people. Some elderly with only SS income. Some on disability. Some who worked but who couldn't rent (unbanked, variable paychecks/jobs, a past filled with income issues). and lots of other people for an assortment of reasons. All of them were more or less on big expense from being homeless.

Living in a motel/hotel is NOT cheap... there's usually no way to cook or store food. there's no way to do laundry. You can't easily store your possessions in your room (you may need to MOVE it all on short notice). You may be at the mercy of your neighbors (the other people who live in the hotel/motel) with you.


I wonder if the guy from the article was attempting to be a "comedian" and wasn't at all serious about it - it was just a funny juxtaposition of cost of hotel room to cost of retirement living.

I'm surprised he didn't suggest that plan for all the homeless people living in tents on the street - why don't they just move into a hotel??