RETURNING TO MENORCA

Hi there !  We are thinking of perhaps returning to Menorca where we lived before we moved to France, BUT, although we would be covered via the S1 for health, we are told by friends that we would also be required now to take out private medical insurance .....the problem is my husband had Parkinson's disease and I have Type 1 diabetes, and several other long term problems (aren't we lucky !)  and I cannot help but wonder if I could obtain medical care back in Spain ...when we lived there before, neither of us had any medical problems ..............must be old age I think !  What does anyone think ?  Would like to spend our last days back in the sun (raining here in Bordeaux, only had one day of sun so far this 'Spring' !  Thanks for your input !

If you have an S1 why would you need private medical insurance? The S1 is valid throughout Europe if you are of pensionable age or registered disabled (plus under 18 or pregnant but I doubt that applies to you).

You would have to take out residency and prove a regular income plus medical cover which is what the S1 does.

Is it wise to move to a small island like Menorca ...with all the ailments that you both have if you do I personally think you are very brave .

Also worth considering what impact Brexit may have - you will not have been resident back in Spain 5 years by the end of the transition period, so may find yourselves with no permanent right of residency. Could be added complications - at a time of life when that's the last thing you need on your minds!

Thank you for  your replies !   The question of the five year rule possibility following Brexit is one that we have been considering as a possible problem.  We did have our Residencia before we left, a doctor and an NIE number ...but never renewed them recently !   There is a new hospital in Mahon, replacing the old Virgin de Gracia ...in our day two neighbours req uiring care for cancer had to fly to Palma for treatment ...not good when you are not well !  Obviously needs a lot of consideration ...we have a friend who lives alone on the island and is 87 who has had excellent care for various breaks of bones in the last two years but she has been a resident since 1986 .....although she does not speak Spanish and never considered permanent residence ..................I think it is really a q uestion of where to spend our last years ......better than in a care home maybe !  and there is always a short trip to Switzerland as long as we can make the flight !!

Not quite sure I understand how someone can have "been a resident since 1986 .....although....never considered permanent residence". Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron to me. Or rather, just another case of flying under the radar and hoping things just work out. Wouldn't be my choice at 87, or for that matter at any age. As for care homes and ending one's days etc., not really a joking matter IMHO. I have seen a few too many cases of people, speaking no Spanish, with no family or reliable friends nearby, who didn't make suitable plans and had very sad & sorry ends. But each to their own, I'm not here to preach....but I would seriously consider the Brexit issue; with so much uncertainty at the moment, I really wouldn't be taking any chances. 

Ah well...as you say, each to his own !!!!!!!!!

I've often thought there must be a huge gap in the market to supply care homes and clinics in Spain that cater to English speaking people. No different to the Jewish care homes and clinics one finds all over the world that cater for Jewish people. One might even suppose the UK govt could chip in towards costs as in many cases it would save them having to provide the same services to the same people - only more expensively -  in UK. As a lonely 87 years old - if I get there - I don't think I'd want to live in an entirely Spanish care home, no matter how good one's Spanish. But a "Brit care home" in sunny Spain would be vastly preferable to what I've seen of UK care homes (when scouting for my mother). 

There is one on Menorca ...it has just opened, being run by  someone English ....can't recall the name of it, but I did ask for details ..................probably prohibitvely expensive, but at least someone has thought of it .......which has got to be a good thing, as you say, the UK should be glad a lot of elderly would not have to return to become a burden on the NHS (IF they got the necessary treatment for any illnesses once they are over a certain age .)  I hope this new venture will be able to survive both Brexit and  Catalan independence    if it happens !  I guess they will, hopefull y, be employing Spanish nationals as staff as well !  I have picked my hole in the wall in the cemetery in Alayor so hope I can get back before I die !

If a British pensioner is registered in Spain with an S1 for public health care, then the British govt. is funding their care via fixed contributions to Spain, so it really wouldn't make any difference to the NHS in terms of financial burden, and I can't really see how the NHS would benefit by "chipping in" with the cost of private care for the elderly living in Spain. Furthermore, British expat pensioners resident in Spain are now able to return to the UK and avail themselves of NHS services whenever they want (assuming they're healthy enough to travel). Besides, care homes don't usually include full medical facilities - so I don't quite see what one thing has to do with the other anyway?

As for care homes in Spain catering to English speakers, I can't speak for Menorca, but elsewhere (such as the Costa del Sol) there are already quite a few such establishments - some legal, some not, and like everything else, they no doubt vary enormously in quality, depending on the depth of ones pockets. Whether or not they would be vastly preferable to what you've seen of UK care homes will also depend on which "Brit care home" you look at - believe me, there are some absolute hell-holes I've seen - and they're not cheap. If anything, the majority are probably far worse than similar places in the UK, because they have a captive (helpless) market and are totally unregulated.

Wow, Roberto, I see things differently. I've been to several Spanish old people's homes in my area (Caceres Province) and they are great. The big difference with UK is in Spain they have plenty of space....and can organise outdoor living for a large part of the year. Also, they seem to plug these places into the community, so that the typical Spanish bar/restaurant  (in one of them I'm thinking of).....has a clientele of regulars from the town who interact with the residents. Average price full board seems to be around €2 500 a month. That said, I would feel a bit cut off - in the context of being an 87 year old, perhaps not able to drive, etc.

As compared to the typical UK care home, Fawlty Towers type set-ups, bathrooms in cupboards, bedrooms the size of wardrobes. Everyone cooped up indoors watching telly. oh, btw, fully staffed by Asians and Africans. Average price for a decent one was £5 000 a month when looking for my mum in 2015. 

It seems to me  that a care home would be cheaper to operate in Spain. And in the sunshine. Surely that's why most of us are living here in the first place? And if local government are paying for the care - as is often the case in UK with poorer OAPs - I think it would be win/win for everyone. My cup is always half full.

Violette, don't let people drag you down with negative thoughts. If you feel up to the move, go for it. Sooner is always better than later.

What's wrong or substandard with Asians and Africans?.

My glass is neither half full nor half empty, it just has a nice frothy topping of reality, which tends to help avoid disappointment later on when it's completely empty 

Not quite sure what to make of the comment about "hopefully employing Spanish nationals as staff as well", but it smacks of slightly patronizing the natives, along the same lines as the comment about Asians & Africans. Hope I'm wrong on both counts.

Hi Guy T .....thankyou !  a sensible answer at last ............exactly along the lines of my thinking !  Been looking at various websites for suitable property to look at !  We also have our abogado on the case (my husband was her very first client when she qualified in  1996....her Uncle built the new villa and recommended her (as you do !)  we have kept in touch with her so she would be ensuring we bought something suitable !...... Also thought at retirement homes in the UK and am waiting for details of a new block of flats being built by McCarthy and Stone ....at £350,000 for a 2 bedroomed flat which with charges and bills would work out very expensive and we really don't want to go back to the UK !  Not keen on mainland Spain either (except if I decide to grow out disgracefully and buy a caravan on Camping villamar (Bargain hunting Brits in the sun !) ....and why not ! looks more fun that sitting on one's own in God's Waiting Room  .....one of our neighbours here in our little French village, who had retired and built his bungalow, left after only two years saying this is what he thought it was and he wanted to see a bit of life before he died ..........and moved into a lively town about an hour away ....................can't fault it !!!!  Nowt so sure as death and taxes ..................Bring on the Pimada .................

Guy said

As compared to the typical UK care home, Fawlty Towers type set-ups, bathrooms in cupboards, bedrooms the size of wardrobes. Everyone cooped up indoors watching telly. oh, btw, fully staffed by Asians and Africans. Average price for a decent one was £5 000 a month when looking for my mum in 2015. 

I think your mum deserved more research Guy.  I havnt come across anything at all like this, and to say its typical is at best misleading and at worst a downright lie.

Whatever anyone else says, though, Guy is telling the OP exactly what she wants to hear, so that's all that matters. Happy days! 

I know!    I think Guy also said something about the UK chipping in to care homes abroad to ease the burden on the NHS.

I would like him/her to write a piece on how this works, and explain it to us.   It sounds like adding considerably to the burden to me?

To the OP, all I can say as basic advice is to consider your income, your planned surroundings and the available services (including long term care) before you make any move.   It’s the same at any age really, can you afford it, is it right for you, will you be happy.

Going to Switzerland will then become a far, far away consideration for you.