Dying in the DR - long post!

Not to sound morbid, especially this time of year, but it needs to be discussed.

First healthcare -  if you do not have insurance you better have money. That being said what happens when you get gravely ill here?

Sadly there is no understanding of  palliative care or hospice care.  As a mostly catholic country this is a new  and resisted idea.  Helping someone who is suffering is okay in theory but not really in practice. 

Be ready to advocate for your loved one if they are  terminal.  Be ready to explain the concepts and be ready to fight for them.

I recently had the honor of doing this for a  good friend. He was terminal with brain, lung and stomach cancers. He also had 2 strokes and more were expected.   Doctors wanted to “investigate” spend lots of money  on tests to determine where the cancer originated. I wondered, and asked,  WHY? For what reason do you need to understand this? The answer: to create a treatment plan.  Well again for what reason was my question. I asked  both specialists,  will he survive treatment? A resounding NO was the answer. So  I fought for them to stop doing these invasive tests.
At that point the insurance stopped paying. If you are not actively “treating” something then they wont pay!  Be ready to pay for palliative care.

My friend was  6'1” and had dropped to 105 pounds when I asked about treatment options!   Silly doctors really, he was not escaping this, it was discovered far too late.

Doctors tried to force a feeding tube. We were having NONE of that.
Doctors and hospital tried to discharge him. We were having NONE of that.
Doctors and hospital had NO idea what to do.

I explained and fought for humane treatment,  keep him comfortable and out of pain and assist him in  letting go.  His wife at this time was unable to communicate  with the doctors.  Her Spanish was very limited normally, made worse by all the stress!  I am grateful  I could help them both.

Eventually we got doctors to understand what is needed.  They helped keep him comfortable and he let go! He died on October  10th 2021.

Because of a previous experience, I have a pre planned funeral. I  encouraged my friends to do the same.  We had  arranged and paid for everything.   
Details:  via Blandino  which has  offices and alliances all over the country we followed my friends wishes, he wanted to be cremated.  Cost for everything was  RD 80,200,  or about US $1,435 at the time we purchased.  You can reach Blandino at 1-829-872-7481. There are other companies  as well,  I found this one to be very professional!

One phone call was all we made, arrangements were set in motion.  Within 2 hours  transportation  arrived and paperwork was completed.  As  foreigners normally an autopsy must be completed,  then the  final arrangements can be followed.  Within  4 weeks we got the call that his  remains were ready for us to retrieve.  They are presented in a beautiful wooden box and  velvet bag. This is slower than normal due to the pandemic.

We received the  death certificate etc shortly after.  All notifications are automatically done to the embassy and Dominican governments.  I encourage everyone to make arrangements if you live here full time.

Wills -   if you live here, have  property here and or bank accounts here I  encourage you to get a will HERE.  Your will  from somewhere else MAY OR MAY NOT be valid here. AND if it is valid here there is a long expensive process to make it so! 

It is easier and less expensive to handle your affairs here!   The laws are very very different here!   The law is territorial so anything you have here is covered by Dominican law. That law determines how you must leave things. And if you want to get around and of this, there are ways but you need to organize this now. Dying without a will here leaves a big mess.  Things here are complicated normally,  leaving this undone is a huge burden to those left behind.

Lishali Baez  has been recommended on  this  platform many times for immigration   and residency. She is also highly knowledgeable in this area. I encourage you to reach out to her  if you need help.  1-809-860-1231 or [email protected]

As a business person here, I am now looking to the future to open hospice/palliative type care facilities. It will take some time to do so, but it is sorely needed here. 

The intent of this thread is to help people plan, to make them aware of what can happen, create dialogue.  If you need any other info feel free to message me or reach out to the  people mentioned!