# Bringing 84 yr old to live in Spain?



## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Has anybody ever brought and elderly parent from the uK to live in Spain? with them. Are there any retrictions, and what type of health care would they get. I would appreciate your veiws experience etc. Thank You.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

fergie said:


> Has anybody ever brought and elderly parent from the uK to live in Spain? with them. Are there any retrictions, and what type of health care would they get. I would appreciate your veiws experience etc. Thank You.


my 85 year old dad came for a long holiday 2 months ago - we had all but decided that he would spend 2 months here & 2 months in the UK when he became ill (although he has apparently had this condition for at least a year & it had been untreated by his GP in the UK)

he now can't return for at least a few months, and is beginning to feel that he actually doesn't want to go back & be on his own - and that's fine by us

I know he'll still get his pension & cold weather allowance from the UK, and full healthcare entitlements (the same as a spanish pensioner)

he doesn't get any other benefits in the UK, except council tax rebate, so we have to look a bit more deeply into what happens there, since he'll still have the house & might let it out . though I think he'd be better just leaving it empty tbh - less hassle & it's not like he _needs_ the income


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> my 85 year old dad came for a long holiday 2 months ago - we had all but decided that he would spend 2 months here & 2 months in the UK when he became ill (although he has apparently had this condition for at least a year & it had been untreated by his GP in the UK)
> 
> he now can't return for at least a few months, and is beginning to feel that he actually doesn't want to go back & be on his own - and that's fine by us
> 
> ...


Also think about what will happen when they can no longer look after themselves and need care. You may be able to do that for a while, but what if they need round-the-clock care with perhaps nursing needs? There are residential homes but most are Spanish-speaking and your relative may feel out of place, and at English-run homes, costs will be significant, and your relative gets no help from public purse. 
In UK, local authority starts chipping in once their assets are down to below £23,250, in familiar surroundings, with (other) family members and friends nearby.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I'm not sure it would be a good idea, altho if they're fit and healthy why not - certainly for an extended holiday?? I just think that at that age, any problems tend to be more complicated and theres a certain amount of security being within a country, environment and language that you are familiar with. But if someone has family who are settled and confident here then it can work as xabiachica found with her dad! Up to the individual I guess!

Jo xxx


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

Personally I'd much prefer a happy year in spain than 10 years being spoon fed in S****horpe  Life is for living. So go for it and enjoy He can always return to blightie if required.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Joppa said:


> Also think about what will happen when they can no longer look after themselves and need care. You may be able to do that for a while, but what if they need round-the-clock care with perhaps nursing needs? There are residential homes but most are Spanish-speaking and your relative may feel out of place, and at English-run homes, costs will be significant, and your relative gets no help from public purse.
> In UK, local authority starts chipping in once their assets are down to below £23,250, in familiar surroundings, with (other) family members and friends nearby.


if they have that - in our case he doesn't have family there now - but very good neighbours, not fair to ask them to look after him though, is it?

well in our case he's living with us, and if it ever got to that we'd get private help if need be - though I realise not everyone could afford that - he could always sell the UK house if needs be

we have friends in that situation here - the elderly mother lives in the underbuild & has pretty much round the clock care - she sold her property in france when she came here


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

I am pleased for Xabiachica, seems this is working out well, I am the OPostee, my mum will be 84 inb June, at present she lives in a warden control flat (council run), the warden is moblie and calls once a week. My Mum is registered partly sighted, being totally blind in one eye and has Glaucoma and macular degeneration in the other, so that means he sight in the one 'good' eye is going worse every year.
She also has some degree of heart failure, and is taking various prescribed medications for this and that.
Mum actually comes from Germany, but left there 58yrs ago to live in Uk, her only surviving older sister is in Germany, and too ill to travel, My sister lives in Australia, and I at present live in Hong Kong, so my Mum only has my brother living near her in the UK, and he works and has no transport so doesn't see her that often. She is alone most days, and through a variety of little problems which have mounted up, has become depressed and less mobile, and refusing to go out at all now.
We plan to move to Javea, I will be there for good in September, and wondered if it was a good idea to ask her to live with my husband and I, I would need to be reasurred any health care problems she might have would be met by the Spanish health care system, and if for any reason she had to be hospitalised she would be treated the same way she is the UK, we are reasonably comfortably off, but I wouldn't call us rich by any means. She recieves the UK basic pension, plus extra allowance because she is registered partially blind, she doesn't own any property etc.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

fergie said:


> I am pleased for Xabiachica, seems this is working out well, I am the OPostee, my mum will be 84 inb June, at present she lives in a warden control flat (council run), the warden is moblie and calls once a week. My Mum is registered partly sighted, being totally blind in one eye and has Glaucoma and macular degeneration in the other, so that means he sight in the one 'good' eye is going worse every year.
> She also has some degree of heart failure, and is taking various prescribed medications for this and that.
> Mum actually comes from Germany, but left there 58yrs ago to live in Uk, her only surviving older sister is in Germany, and too ill to travel, My sister lives in Australia, and I at present live in Hong Kong, so my Mum only has my brother living near her in the UK, and he works and has no transport so doesn't see her that often. She is alone most days, and through a variety of little problems which have mounted up, has become depressed and less mobile, and refusing to go out at all now.
> We plan to move to Javea, I will be there for good in September, and wondered if it was a good idea to ask her to live with my husband and I, I would need to be reasurred any health care problems she might have would be met by the Spanish health care system, and if for any reason she had to be hospitalised she would be treated the same way she is the UK, we are reasonably comfortably off, but I wouldn't call us rich by any means. She recieves the UK basic pension, plus extra allowance because she is registered partially blind, she doesn't own any property etc.


She will be entitled to free state healthcare and like the UK, some hospitals are better than others. The rates of MRSA and other infections are much lower in Spain, which is an important factor for the elderly. But as you are probably aware, in Spain it is the responsibility of the family to look after hospitalised patients, feed and wash them etc, not the nursing staff.

In my opinion being close to you would be a big plus in this decision. And presumably she has views of her own! Does she actually want to live in Spain?


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

I haven't discussed this with her yet, as I wanted to find out all the pro's and cons first, we have a while ago when we lived in Uk asked her to live nearer us, but that was when she was fitter and had more friends still alive, and she said no because she has good neighbours and friends, that would have meant a move from Manchester to Essex.
I hope she will visit us a lot when we live in Spain permanently, but there will come a day when flying will be too much for her, and maybe sometime she might consider making a permanent move.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

fergie said:


> I am pleased for Xabiachica, seems this is working out well, I am the OPostee, my mum will be 84 inb June, at present she lives in a warden control flat (council run), the warden is moblie and calls once a week. My Mum is registered partly sighted, being totally blind in one eye and has Glaucoma and macular degeneration in the other, so that means he sight in the one 'good' eye is going worse every year.
> She also has some degree of heart failure, and is taking various prescribed medications for this and that.
> Mum actually comes from Germany, but left there 58yrs ago to live in Uk, her only surviving older sister is in Germany, and too ill to travel, My sister lives in Australia, and I at present live in Hong Kong, so my Mum only has my brother living near her in the UK, and he works and has no transport so doesn't see her that often. She is alone most days, and through a variety of little problems which have mounted up, has become depressed and less mobile, and refusing to go out at all now.
> We plan to move to Javea, I will be there for good in September, and wondered if it was a good idea to ask her to live with my husband and I, I would need to be reasurred any health care problems she might have would be met by the Spanish health care system, and if for any reason she had to be hospitalised she would be treated the same way she is the UK, we are reasonably comfortably off, but I wouldn't call us rich by any means. She recieves the UK basic pension, plus extra allowance because she is registered partially blind, she doesn't own any property etc.


lol we could introduce her to my dad!!!

yes, all her needs would be met by the Spanish healthcare system - my dad is still officially on hols here using his EHIC card & has seen a consultant at the hospital ( we need to do a bit of armtwisting to get him to register as resident)

I don't know what would happen about your mum's extra allowance - but she would for sure get her pension & full healthcare as if she was Spanish

you need to phone Newcastle with a 'what if' scenario

so do I................


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

My neighbours brought their Mother with them when they moved to Spain about 10 years ago. 

She celebrated her 102nd birthday last week so Spain must agree with her.


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