This is one of the reasons now that’s taking us back to the UK. To make life easier for both of us but especially OH.
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Came here for the lifestyle and can’t afford to move back in one case I know of.
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Doctors can practice their English on patients but they are not allowed to prescribe drugs, give prognosis etc in English whether it be verbal and/or written ,only in their native French in case of misunderstanding or using the wrong English word or meaning otherwise a lawsuit could be made, understandable as their livelihood is in danger. This is the stance with all medical professionals who value their job and it’s upto the patient to supply a translator or have someone help them. It was the same in the building trades even with English clients, we still had to give the Devis in French as the main one to be signed and then a copy in English for them to understand.
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I can get my head around that, really I can. I know an elderly English couple and their French is darn near non-extistant. They’ve been in France for more than 20 years and, in fairness, managed well. Arguably done incredibly well for themselves really, but they are reliant on others in some situations. One of the areas they do feel vulnerable is health, and that’s despite them knowing that they are objectively better served in France. And I get it and am not judgemental. I can see them going back as, over the years, I have heard their shifts in position, their fears and awareness of their vulnerability. I couldn’t say with any degree of certainty that I won’t be in the same place in the future.
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I suspect there’s a number of people that’d match that description. There but for the grace of god etc… and even then, who can say what “graces” lay in wait.
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Si la barrière de la langue rend impossible un diagnostic sûr hors urgence, le médecin peut orienter le patient vers une structure adaptée (comme une permanence d’accès aux soins de santé ou un service avec interprétariat), sans que cela constitue un refus discriminatoire.
The issue seems to be that said doc made no effort to find a solution for them.
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My French place is really close to Pontivy ..so I have been there on multiple occasions . I have usually been capable of finding sufficient English / French to be able to get stuff done .. The tax office was more difficult to deal than the telecom’s or the health service ..But the situation here is very different .. There were two elderly people both incapable of communication and what you have is their recollections in a high stress environment. Moreover her condition is multidimensional with both physical and potentially brain damage .So not an easy situation .. You really don’t know for sure what transpired at the appointment
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Did the medics communicate that in French or English? I assume English? Just interested to know.
Did the medics have any prior notice that the patient they were scheduled to see could not speak French? Just wondering if, with prior notice, they might have arranged for an interpreter to be present?
Might be worth having someone, who is competent in French, phone the hospital to clarify things and find out what is required to get a successful appointment.
Does “peut” here have the force of “doit” though?
Variances of this crop up here once or twice and I am intrigued - when the medics refused, were they curt or rude about it, or did they explain that the technical aspect would make it difficult? I am intrigued as I have NEVER hit anything untoward from French medics. In fact sometimes I am embarrassed by their insistence to make it easy for me. As a result, I am incredibly sorry for anyone experiencing anything less than the best from the health system here.
That we know about. If they don’t speak French, much may have been said but not understood, what with stress etc on top of not speaking.
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Hello @Ericvb1 and welcome to the forum.
Having read this thread through twice now… I see there are areas where we do not know what was actually said, nor by whom..
As has been said higher up in this thread, it is important that the patient and Doctor/whoever can understand one another. Therefore, I do not feel your mother was treated unfairly.. quite the opposite. I think your mother was treated with necessary caution.
The need to either speak/understand French or have someone (alongside) who can translate… has been covered in previous threads over the years and (obviously) needs to be raised again so that no-one else falls into the mire. 
If your mother is having speech problems, all the more reason to have an French/English-speaking person alongside. Someone who can gain her confidence and converse with her gently, making sure that the “person” properly understands what your mother is trying to say… and can translate between your mother and whichever medical person.
Best of luck.
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My wife brought us here to live because, on short visits, she realised this is where she wanted to be. On the day she died she spoke no more French than the day she was born, but even now, more than 2 years later, I am stopped in the street by old biddies who ramble on about her. She had lots of friends something passed between them that knew no linguistic bounds, so that is the answer to ‘why are they here’ I saw earlier in the thread.
In hospital she was assisted most kindly by of course the sainted Tory but also various people who did their best for her. She was never turned away.
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Ohhhh, I don’t think we can assume that Jane. That’s a medical professional’s reputation you are impugning. Somewhat beyond our brief I would have thought.
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“Seems to be”
Communication of essential information is critical to effective and safe medical treatment, especially in an emergency situation.
We find that doing our best to help the first responders / hospital folks goes a very long way to having them help you.
To this end we have preprepared a ‘Carnet Medical’ for each of us. Basically it’s a printed sheet of paper that gives the essential information about identity, contact info, medical history, allergies, current medications, blood group, previous surgeries etc.
We have several copies of the document. In an emergency, one copy is handed to the Pompiers, and another is pinned to the patients clothing.
Also we make sure that all blood test, imaging, and specialist Compte Rendu documents are uploaded to MonEspaceSante where medical professionals can access them.
For a preplanned appointment we always create a printed document in French using an online translator that explains whatever the problem may be, fully but succinctly, with an explanation of symptoms and time scale.
When the doctors realise that you have gone to some effort to help them, then they will invariably do all that they can to help you.
A little preplanning goes a very long way because one day it WILL happen to you.
I will happily send a blank copy of the ‘Carnet’ that we use to anyone who would like one.
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Only those to whom you have given permission can access them. And emergency services as long as you have the right boxes ticked. Do check!
I was surprised to find that my hospital consultant didn’t have access. But then I’m not sure he wanted access to more info and was happy with the history the intern had taken.
If one doesn’t speak French well then your document is a good idea.
“Seems to be” …
That’s the point I was trying to make in my earlier response .. 2 Elderly British People without French appearing in the hospital … Even if it were a British Hospital and in English ..and one had had a stroke and now had difficulty speaking it would have been difficult . There is no reference in Eric’s postings as to what documentation or anything .. Did they have referral letters , did they have copies of their current medications .
It is very easy for a medical interview get off on the wrong foot even when the language is not a problem … Case in point . I had been referred to a clinic and had lung and stomach scopes …and had got a a short report from the consultants .. I expected that my GP had the fuller one and made an appointment .. I was met by a locum and what followed was a highly frustrating encounter .. He had no records , his knowledge of my history was zero and I left extremely frustrated .. My history was on his computer ,but he would not have had time to read it . The key point is that the clinic had not sent the reports in by that day… So it was a dialogue of the deaf.
How much worse would it be if ,1. I had difficulty actually speaking 2. In a language I did not know ..
The assumption that the 2 elderly people would be able to use Google Translate or even read a phone screen or even have the tactile ability to punch the buttons is demanding a lot
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I’m going to force my husband to read this as an object lesson in the perils of living in old age in a country where you don’t have a good grasp of the language or how things work. And no kids on hand who do speak the language and are able to bail you out.
But it won’t change his behaviour - I know all too well.
All you can do is plan for a future where he is protected as much as possible.
And I say this to anyone who recognises their other half will struggle here if they are the one left, or if the partner they rely on to do the coping suddenly is unable to do so.