Accidents in the home

http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Archives/Archives-des-dossiers-de-presse/Le-114-numero-d-urgence-pour-les-personnes-sourdes-et-malentendantes
how 114 works

One of our reasons for not returning to the Gourdon area was as Karen suggested the difficulties of getting the services you need without having to travel for miles. Our English neighbour had to go to Toulouse at least 2 hours away to have his knees replaced. He was very happy with the care he received despite speaking very little French but was surprised to be charged 650 euros for the travel back

Thatā€™s a good point. Such things need to be sorted-out BEFORE one travels long distances. Who is paying for whatā€¦ (and letā€™s hope one has a Mutuelleā€¦)

Although 650ā‚¬ seems a lot for 2 hour taxi rideā€¦ ???

If we did decide to move to France, and we do realise itā€™s not very sensible at our age, then we will not be coming back. I understand that dying in France is as complicated as living Can you make fairly comprehensive arrangements beforehand.

I donā€™t know that dying is particularly complicated in itself, except potentially if you have a reconstituted family as I believe the term is in which case arranging the succession can get a bit complex to keep it fair and minimise inheritance tax. But the winter years of your life can certainly get complicated if one or both need residential care and you have offspring who will be expected to contribute to funding it. In France it is a family responsibility and if the parents cannot continue to pay for their own care the state will not step in if there are sons/daughters who are in a position to pay, So if you have children you should probably discuss this with them upfront.

Itā€™s sensible to talk these things through in whichever country one dies.
One possible issue in France is that everything tends to happen with great speed and sometimes getting family out in time for the funeral can be a problem.
Also, the financial affairs of the deceased are frozen, which means if there is only one French bank account accessing funds in the early days can be a challenge. We have an account each and keep our money such as our pensions separate.
And being the one left and not being able to drive can be an issue.
Everything can be worked out and this can still be an adventure for you, but it sounds like you are absolutely doing the right thing by thinking these things through before you come.

The crucial thing here I believe is to have the account in the name of Monsieur ou Madame. Then either of you can use the account individually. If the account is M et Mme the account can only be used jointly not individually.

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Thanks a good point to remember. Itā€™s so easy to make a mistake that causes hassle down the line. My wife applied for an Irish passport in May last year. We mistakenly thought using her maiden name would make the application easier. What we didnā€™t know is that you canā€™t have a UK passport and Irish passport in different names and she still hasnā€™t got the passport

As @Sandcastle has saidā€¦ ā€œMr ou Mmeā€.

This was suggested when we opened our CA Account to purchase our first French property. It was carefully explained just why this was important ā€¦ and the cheques are clearly marked ā€¦ (Him or Her)ā€¦ so the surviving spouse can continue to write cheques and access the account.

I had a taxi back from hospital in BesancƧon, just over an hour. Thankfully covered by my ALD as when I signed his chit it was ā‚¬380! Medical taxis are extremely expensive, which is why I try not to use them even if itā€™s not me footing the bill.

Generally taxis to and from an-inpatient stay in hospital can be covered by a prise en charge, if you ask in advance. Or a mutuelle if you have good coverage.

As for dying in France you can make arrangements in advance, but even thoā€ Macron has just increased the time between death and internment/cremation it still gives little time for international attendance. Unless of course your administrator pays for embalmment. Here the funeral director will do absolutely everything it seems. The deaths Iā€™ve sadly been close to here have been remarkably well organised in no time at all, and the (non-religious) services very appropriate.

(Makes a welcome contrast to the UK. When my father died the man officiating was a christian religious person, I forget what branch, and we had checked that he was happy to stick to god and not mention Jesus as half the attendees were orthodox jews. Halfway through he started on what was obviously his standard spiel which included Jesus. My mum was horribly upset. No such problems like that here - unless of course you want to chose a religious ceremony).

Ahā€¦ medical taxiā€¦ that could explain it. Iā€™ve only used an ordinary taxi and that cost me 75ā‚¬ for 47kmā€¦ from hospital to my door.

How does one get the ā€œprise en chargeā€ for transport? Can it be done for emergencies? Also what specifically does one have to look for, to find in the wording oc a mutuelle contract to be assured of coverage?

The mutuelle proposed by Mr. Fā€™s firm on here did not appear to have transport to/from treatment on their list of coverage. Although I havenā€™t gone ahead with it for other reasons, I can see it being a huge potential cost. I had asked about it and only got a general reply that wasnā€™t specific enough to be convincing. So it had worried me.

I will take a bet that that 650 euros might have even doubled if transport had been needed on a Sunday.

Ameli explains it quite thoroughly. The most important is that you have to have the agreement and prescription from your doctor BEFORE the journey. Sadly there has now been so much abuse that doctors have been instructed to tighten up and less willing to give them out. And Ameli checks carefully too. One journey I had I didnā€™t notice that my doctor had wrongly dated the prescription for the day before my appointment - the claim was completely refused.

Geoffrey (above) should not have had to pay if coming out of hospital - but if he had not sorted this out first then no chance retrospectively.

In general like with everything else, the mutuelle will follow the prescription. So if your doctor signs a prise en charge for transport then the seƧu pay 60 or 75% (?not sure percentage as I am 100%) and the mutuelle should pay the rest.

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Thanks Jane.

Arriving at hospital by ambulance after an accident, cannot be foreseen.

In my own case, the Pompiers delivered me and, after I was thoroughly plastered, I was considered ā€œwalking woundedā€ and able to get myself home.
Thus the Doctor in A&E would not authorize the costs, but Reception did arrange an ā€œordinaryā€ taxi home at my own cost.

Had I needed medical transport, the Doctor in A&E would have authorized it/arranged it and it would have cost me nothing (at least thatā€™s how it was explained to me).

@KarenLot this should put your mind at restā€¦

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Yes, you have to ā€œneedā€ the transport.

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Which does make perfect senseā€¦

Just like to say thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences of the French medical system. For the most part itā€™s been very reassuring. I shall collate all the information for future reference and post it. We have already added some steri strips and bandages to our first aid kit ready for the next little accident!

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Bear in mind if you want anything of any substance here in France you need to go to the pharmacy. The Elastoplast that is sold in boxes in supermarkets here is laughable. The strips are so tiny I canā€™t believe anyone actually thinks that such a small cut needs covering.

When my husband cut his finger on a Stanley knife our first port of call when it wouldnā€™t stop bleeding was the pharmacy. They tried to seal the wound but decided after several attempts that it would be advisable to go to our nearest emergency dept. Due to COVID I wasnā€™t able to go in with him but the service was quick and very good plus no parking fee! Also, a pharmacist helped seal and dress a large wound he received on his leg while on holiday. For minor injuries they will always be my first port of call here.