Follow the dream????

[confused51]

Morning all.....I have a question please, if anyone is able to help/advise.......Our dream was always to retire to Italy and buy a small house to live in and just relaxxxxxxxxx after a lifetime of work....we bought the dream house ( well wreck really lol ) which we have refurbished bit by bit over a couple of years....now, when we will be all set to follow our dream in a couple of years, I have been diagnosed with diabetes for which I have been prescribed tablets.....I am absolutely devastated and now I don't feel that I am able to move anymore with this problem hanging over my head!!.....has anyone been in my situation?....if so how did you manage? or did you forget the dream and stay put?.....can I return to the UK once a year for my annual check-up and eye screening?....we have paid into the national health all our working lives so would that be possible??? thank you

 

[phoenix]

If are of UK retirement age and you receive a UK state pension (not an occupational one which you may get earlier). Then you may obtain a form S1 which entitles you to obtain health care in another EU country on the same basis as nationals of that country (so any costs paid normally there will have to be paid by you). In the case of state retirement pensioners, the UK will actually still be covering your care but it will be paying Italy for it.. It's more complicated if you don't have this and you may have to obtain private health insurance.
(see this link; it's a bit out of date as it calls form S1 form E121 but it seems accurate otherwise; check though yourself for any recent changes)
http://italy.angloinfo.com/healthcare/health-system/eligibility/

You will be able to get both emergency care and 'ongoing' care with an EHIC if you visit for short periods (which the UK actually also funds for state pensioners!) This doesn't include going back to the UK specifically for regular check-ups.
(some people do manage to do this by keeping homes in the 2 countries , spending 6 months in one and 6 months in the other so keeping their UK health care status.. sometimes their 6 months is stretched a bit but that's not strictly legal.

As to the dream. I have lived in France now for 13 years much of it very good. We have done lots of things that wouldn't have been so easy in the UK. I've had a lovely house and garden (lot's of work there though!) been able to swim in our own pool in summer with lovely al fresco meals, to go skiing in winter for far less money than I could if in the UK. I've been able to visit many beautiful places and met lots of new people.
There is a flip side which it is important to think about.
Make sure that you can speak reasonable Italian, health care and everything else can become very difficult in another country.
Think about how you will feel being a long way from friends and family. They will love visiting you at the start but probably not so much in later years when the novelty has worn off or their circumstances have changed.
If you have family back in the UK, think about how easily you can visit them in an emergency (do you have parents still living?). Consider the fact that exchange rates may change and that 10 years down the road, financing visits back may be more difficult.
Lastly, think about what will happen if you become older, or more infirm or if your partner does. Make sure that either of you will be able to cope on their own. Will you be able to return to family if you need care? (remember much of the care of the elderly in Europe is done by family, and in any case would you want to be in an Italian care home?
I've seen two cases recently where the driver in a partnership has become very ill leaving the other member stranded in remote rural areas. I also know of several widows and widowers out here, some have been able to manage well, others have been desperate to leave and not been able to because they can't sell their home here.

 

[kesun]

What a shock! But I don't think this need end the dream. I've never lived in Italy, and my experience in non-EU countries won't help you, but I've done a bit of looking on the internet for you. As an EU citizen you're entitled to the same health care as the Italians themselves. Here's a page on how to register:
http://www.understandingitaly.com/living-content/tessera.html
It looks as if the system is similar to the UK once you're registered: http://www.caringfordiabetes.com/Global/Italy/TP_Prevention_Diabetes.cfm
Apart from formal healthcare, the important thing you can do is take charge of your own health: understand your test results and treatments, get yourself a blood glucose meter (buy one if your GP/clinic won't oblige) and use it, look into what diet you want to follow and stick to it, get fit and keep your weight down. There's lots of information on this site - more than you'll get from NHS staff or leaflets.

Good luck,
Kate

 

[AndBreathe]

I read your post with empathy.

I was diagnosed 2 weeks before setting off on a 9 month trip to mainly third world countries – well away from the NHS, normal support mechanisms and even reliable sources of UK standards of food. I'm currently back in the UK for my 3 month review, after which I will resume my trip.

For me, I made lots of things happen in that 2 week period – podiatary and eye checks, an additional set of bloods, plus a frustrating appointment with the practise nurse. I also saw my usual GP (who didn't diagnose me, but who knows me and understands the trip I was about to undertake), where I discussed health care, reviews; short and longer term.

I left the country with my head spinning, but I knew I could just about always achieve an internet connection if I needed it. So, I knew although not in the usual way, at least I would have access to information, and if necessary to my GP. I had a meter to self-monitor and I had (and still have) a huge amount of determination to make things work.

You suggest you have a couple of years before you make the move? You have taken time to refurb your Italian idyll. You now have a window in which to refurb your body, and your health.

In your shoes, I'd get my head around the initial diagnosis (and, looking back, that can take a few weeks), then treat the remaining time as an opportunity to get my act together to manage my life in the way that suits me best. But, whatever stage you are at by the time you are due to move, you will have much more experience in living with this pesky thing. Any decisions you make will be more informed.

I'd strongly advise you read about the NHS 90-day “ordinarily resident”rules, and consider its implications. I'd also be investigating healthcare in Italy – both on EHIC and whatever residential status you will have when you live there. There are special rules for the first couple of years after you stop working. Whether or not you retain a UK base will also determine some healthcare options. It probably makes sense to have a discussion with your GP about the longer term healthcare implications, once you have done your homework. Your GP is your advisor, not a demi-god, but you have to help him understand how he can help you, if he can.

At this point, please don't make any irrevocable, long-term decisions.

I am a “can do” person, with outrageous drive and determination. It's amazing what can be achieved if you set a goal and really commit to achieving it. I'm currently living my dream. My bloods, BP and cholesterol readings are good. I am fit, extremely trim and I am happy.

Good luck, which ever route is eventually right for you!