Aging and wellness in Ecuador
By: Connie Farrell Scuderi
You are living in beautiful Ecuador, having finally reached retirement age or as known here, tercera edad. Once you have unpacked and settled, you ask yourself how to find the resources you need to ensure being prepared. These are some of the important questions that may be more difficult to answer but the good news is that there is a wealth of resources to meet your lifestyle needs.
The enormous advances in medicine, understanding of the aging process and best management strategies to make the most of your senior years are all here at your fingertips. The first thing to remember is that you will not find an exact replica of the resources that you have just left behind. Many Ecuadorian professionals are bi-lingual and have received training abroad which helps them in understanding patients from different cultures. 
There are many local facilitators who offer services to assist you in banking, legal matters, and shopping. For your medical needs, healthcare facilitators and consultants will meet with you in person, assess your needs and offer you options based on the level of support you require, both now and further in the future. You may want companionship, someone to prepare meals and clean your home or you may require a higher level of care such as assistance with medical procedures, medication management and assistance with activities of daily living. At some point, you may need the community environment of senior care homes which developed to create a community of senior citizens who need more than minimal help.
Ecuador has recently seen the growth of senior care homes for those who are no longer able to comfortably remain in their home on their own but at the same time want a community designed specifically for them. A unique option to consider is Club Lomas in Cotacachi which is rapidly establishing itself as a state-of-the-art facility offering both active living and assisted care facilities and options. The facility is both a residential home and a social club for older adults. Club Lomas subscribes to living better and well throughout the aging process. The facilities are set in a natural and beautiful environment surrounded by the stunning Andean mountains. Club Lomas is setting a new high standard for a lifestyle community that blends independent active living with assisted living accommodations in the same community. There are social club memberships available for non-residents, which offers a wide range of activities to appeal to both residents and social club members.to enhance the lifestyle they currently enjoy. The residents benefit from meals planned by professional nutritionists and 24/7 nursing staff. Each resident has a personal call button device, so staff can quickly provide aid anywhere in the facility. There is even an indoor pool, jacuzzi, hot tub, sauna Turkish bath and gym. The facilities are available to the residents as well as to non-resident social members. There is a qualified physical trainer on staff to work on agility and needs to enhance an active lifestyle. In a word, anything the residents and social members may need is available easily and professionally throughout the facility.
Whether you have just arrived or have been here for some time, you can now rest assured that you made an excellent choice for your retirement in choosing Ecuador. Both the affordable and high-quality health care and related service should no longer be a concern about living well and better here in Ecuador, regardless of where in the country you choose to reside.
As a jump start for those readers who are making their own plans a reality, you can get more detailed information at the Club Lomas sponsored June 7th event “Living Well, Living Longer” in Cuenca. The event spotlights Club Lomas as an option to living a full, dignified life during your later retirement years. The schedule of presentations includes a discussion by healthcare professionals who have participated in a healthcare forum about the important concerns of growing older in Ecuador and how to find solutions to your unique needs. Information presented by specialists, including doctors, fitness specialists, psychologists and insurance professionals will be available during the event to answer more specific questions about their niche in the network of services customized to meet the unique needs of you may have. For more details visit https://clublomas.com/cuenca-conference. We look forward to seeing you on June 7th at La Yunta Restaurante in Cuenca to share with you this informative and useful presentation.
Connie Farrell Scuderi is from Philadelphia PA., who has lived and traveled extensively worldwide and chosen Ecuador as her home in her own tercera edad. She is a retired lawyer with a Masters degree in psychology. She was a university professor of law and psychology, developed and taught English to adult businesspeople and university students for whom English is a second language. Connie continues teaching English to professionals and adult learners.
