CHIANG MAI : Vivo Bene AG, a Swiss nursing and personal care company, is investing 250 million baht to develop a nursing home project for Alzheimer's patients in Doi Saket, Chiang Mai.
Construction work is in progress at the site in Doi Saket. The resort is scheduled to be finished by January.
The 22-rai resort is now under construction and scheduled to be completed by the end of January next year. The first patient will come to stay in early February, said president Bernhard Rutz.
Vivo Bene Thailand was established to operate this project. The company got a special permit from the Board of Investment to acquire land and get work and residence permits for foreigners working to take care of foreign patients, mainly from Switzerland. The investment comes from Mr Rutz himself and a venture capital fund.
The Vivo Bene resort has six Lanna-style buildings with 12 rooms each, a clubhouse, a nursing building, four villas for guests, and a staff house. It can care for up to 90 Alzheimer's patients. Some land areas are reserved to build six more buildings for patients with more serious conditions in the near future.
"We chose Doi Saket because it has great surroundings and nature, while the nearby community is friendly. Moreover, the Thai culture has a high esteem and respect for older people and this gives our project a cordial and humane atmosphere for Swiss patients," he said.
The project will create 144 local jobs.
Mr Rutz said Switzerland has an ageing population. Last year, the country had 8.02 million people and 20.6% were 61 or older.
In 2010, there were 125,000 Swiss with Alzheimer's, or 1.6% of the population, he said, and the figure will rise to 160,000 or 1.91% in 2020 and 218,000 or 2.5% in 2030.
Mr Rutz said the cost for in-home care for Alzheimer's patients in Switzerland is 12,700 Swiss francs per month (438,000 baht) for patients with a level 7 condition (there are 12 levels). The Swiss pension amounts to 180,000 to 200,000 baht per month.
The Vivo Bene project will offer nursing services to Alzheimer's patients for 5,800 francs per month (197,200 baht). They can stay in their own room and live their lives in a safe community.
"We're confident we can attract Swiss Alzheimer's patients to stay with us as the nursing cost in Switzerland is very high. Moreover, there are not enough care communities," he said.