We are retired and have not had to pay income tax on our joint pensions so far. My mother is 91 and is now living with us permanently, will she be assessed as an individual and make her own application or will we be assessed as a 3 person household. She is disabled and gets AA. Thanks for any pointers.
See previous posts. Mother is still in hospital and we have been told she should stay there for about three more weeks in the physiotherapy department to re-educate her which is all paid for by Carte Vitale and mutuelle. She seems very happy with this and so are we. It is a shame that nobody suggested this before the accident - even the doctor, after he saw her only last November and how difficult it was for her to walk and the results of an xray. Still better late than never, which it very nearly was.
why are you paying for her care, she should be receiving it under CPAM referral from a doctor???
My 91 year old mother in law has become increasingly frail and now dependent on aid for everything .We have the support of carers from ADMR which is an association . We pay for this ( about €20 per hour ) but cannot fault the service and the carers who care for her as if she were a much loved member of their own family . We also have a nurse visit every day and until recently , because her health has significantly deteriorated, she has had physiotherapy 3 times a week, both paid for through the health system and her mutuelle.
It is possible to apply to the Mairie for local financial support , and also care can be paid for centrally and then repaid on the sale of assets such as a house.
You have to contact your GP and he will request an evaluation (WAITED 8 WEEKS IN THE uk AND GOT NOTHING) here they contacted us the next day!!! sometimes its a different nurse but they are all so nice and mum speaks no french.(we do) .. where are you? love to get the mums together as mum is very socialable we are in charente 16?? near Vienne.
They will come as often as you like, its so difficult for me as mum is so prudish, one instance in the Uk she got stuck in the bath as the bathchair would not move, she is not a "lightweight" and, as i have crohn's disease and a herniated stoma, it was not advisible for me on my own to lift her. I had to blindfold my husband and wrap wet towels around her before she would allow him to come in and lift.
I tried to shower here but she is so independent, I got more water on me and the floor instead of her. Professionals do it better, they have her showered and changed and polished, even down to styling her hair in about 30 minutes from start to finish. She loves the nurses as they are so kind to her and as she is deaf without her hearing aids, she cannot hear anyone in the shower anyway ha ha. she has a great sense of humour (that her son inherited) which is why I enjoy her company but like your mum she misses a natter in her own language. Another friend of ours had his mum here but she was diagnosed with dementia last year but they kept her at home with 24 nursing care. Another pal of mine that inspired us to bring mum here, had her mum, a runaway from a british care home no less, here for a lovely 10 years. Again her mind was slipping but she loved the hot sun and sitting outside looking at the flowers with the nurses for company as my friend writes for a living. Her book "Sell the Pig" was our real motivation to bring mum. However both these mums have since passed away, but they enjoyed a wonderful end of life here, both for ten years. The nurses are all so caring and loving. spending time with mum beyond their allotted time - no-one seems to care about that. Doc insists on making home visits to see her as he does not want her waiting around in surgery. cannot speak highly enough of the care that we did not even ask for, being given freely. No hassle, we went through hoops with both our mums in the UK alas mine has a very bad type of dementia and is is actually a wonderful care home. She no longer knows me or my brother so we could leave without worrying and she has plenty of visitors from friends of ours so is always occupied. they have a very good social program with 1930s songs and a retro cafe to make them feel at home and one nurse sits with mum at night. Knowing she is being very well taken care of made it easier to leave as we had planned to bring them both as they were great friends. Mine fell and broke her hip and woke a different person. so sad.
We are, at this moment, experiencing the French health care system after my mother's accident. Luckily for her, and us, she is in the brand new Pole de Santé at Villeneuve sur lot. She went from A&E where she had stitches and an overnight bed (private ensuite), into chirurgie (private ensuite) and now she has been transferred into Geriatrics (private ensuite). All the doctors have been very friendly, attempted to speak English when they felt it necessary, though my french is not bad, and been happy to stay around and assess my mother, her circumstances and answer my questions. She is going to geriatrics to have help with walking for a week. Even after her fall she is a bright as a button but, as before the accident, she is still unstable on her legs. We are hoping she will accept and learn how to walk with aids so that she come and live with us safely. No complaints of the system so far but I am not able to make comparisons.
Thank you Liz that has been helpful. Your MIL sounds like a lively lady and still has interests. Mine is not so happy although she speaks perfect French she misses her friends and neighbours in the UK. Also she is partially sighted so not able to play games, not that she did before but she was quite artistic and did lots of handwork and she can no longer do this. I have not sought for any help so far but am finding it quite tiring these days. What I would very much like to find is someone who will care for her in our home on a regular basis so we can take a couple of days away from time to time but there do not seem to be the private agencies here as in the UK. I will look into the home help situation though as it would give me a break. Thank you for your response.
My 93 yr old mother in law also lives with us but, as others have stated, she is reposible fo declaring her own income that is not in any way added to the joint husband and wife joint taxation return. Incidentally mum has never been fitter, healthier and benefited in so many ways from the wonderful French health system. She received a free medical bed and a wonderful oxgygen machine in the recent months by simple prescription issued by the system She has a nurse to help her bathe once a week (she would not agree to more, unfortunately) but more help was offered and being kept in abeyance should she decline. Her mental state is a joy to behold, she beats the pants off us and our friends at Whist and knows exactly what she is doing!! (even to cheating openly occasionally, if she thinks she can get away with it). I have never known her so content. Hope this helps.
It's definitely worth it, you need all the help you can get!
Oh, and if the X-Rays were done elsewhere, I would go there, rather than to the generalist!
Useful for me too, thanks Melissa.
For other people's information. I have been to the ADMR in Monflanquin this morning. This is where they can arrange cleaners, help with dressing, help with meals etc. I'll go back next week when manager comes back from holiday. At the Mairie they have given me a folder Lot et Garonne: Direction Générale Adjointe du Développement Social - Demande d'aide pour une personne agée de 60 ans ou plus which also covers the above requirements. Of course the person who knows about all this is also on holiday! Lots of paperwork to fill in now but may be worth it.
Thank you for that information Marie-Claire. I asked the surgery twice about the documents but will try again.
Melissa, you can receive rent and something towards expenses from your mum or your siblings, and you need to declare it as income. I don't know what is easier as a lot depends on your relationship with your mum and how things develop, I suggest you give it a shot, without excluding the care option if things become too difficult to manage on your own. You should be entitled to help (hours of cleaning, qualified nurse, someone who will come in to relieve you…), but would need to ask a social worker about that. Doctors lose documents, it's true, but most of the time they misplace them, I'm sure all the X-Rays and results will show up if you ask for them, besides, your mum should have a copy of them somewhere.
Best of luck!!!
Thank you Marie-Claire, will look into this.
Thank you Helen, that is good to know.
I thought I would contribute to this as it is a recent and relevant discussion, if no help I will start my own.
My mother, 87 years old has lived in France for 30 years, about 10km from us, in the same commune and on Friday had a very bad but not unexpected fall. She has a problem walking, becoming less and less mobile but still, most of the time, refuses any help. Her property is an old mill with steps everywhere of course - which lead to her most recent fall.
I am now seriously considering bringing her to live with us or in our rental accommodation next door both of which are "bungalows". I would like any tips on caring for an elderly, fairly immobile, person. Does anybody know of a wheelchair for sale within 30 miles of Monflanquin? Where do I go for help and/or respite care for when we are away? She was driving and tried to get a blue badge but her xrays and all the documentation seem to have been lost by the doctor and/or MDPH so that was total waste of time and money.
Can we be paid rent by my mother if we accommodate her in our other house (probably paid by my 3 siblings) and care for her if we declare it as rental income? Or is this a difficult route to go down and it would be easier to put her into care and we all pay for that? She has just her pension and on the sale of the house only a small share of it.
So many questions, so little time!
You can declare your mum with you and your husband or she can make a separate declaration, whatever is better for you financially http://www.impots.gouv.fr/portal/dgi/public/popup?espId=1&typePage=cpr02&docOid=documentstandard_1544
I believe that you will probably get a substantial cut in your council tax if she comes under your tax declaration. If in doubt, ask your mairie for an appointment with a social worker, as you may be entitled to other benefits.
it won't affect your income tax as she will need to fill in her own seperate tax return