Editha

Oh, I'm quite enjoying it. I rather like Pulaski's image of lawyers 'straying' from Chancery Lane to the Old Bailey, no doubt following ancient migratory routes, like antelope on the Serengeti.

OH is spending the afternoon on the phone and Skype exchanging New Year's greetings with his numerous relatives in Canada, and although I have many other things I should be getting on with, pissing about is always fun.

Novocastrian

How else would this web site survive?

hecklermp5

Are all first posters considered illegitimate? The heckler userid has nothing to do w/anything. I am a Brit living with a incurable disease here in the USA, looking for opinions on moving back to the UK/Europe. Apparently my initial post irritated some, for which I apologize.. I realize all countries have their pluses and minuses (no, I'm not a trump fan as others suggested). I merely came to the forums for info, without being so much as welcomed aboard, then being called a troll. Thanks very much to the posters who offered up some useful tips.

Shard

Welcome aboard.

Pollyana

Welcome to the forum - glad to see you have returned to read the replies.
We get a lot of posters who never come back after their first post, hence we tend to get suspicious and wonder if that person was ever real!

Hopefully you have found some useful info - feel free to ask more questions if any of us can help further

dmu

Apologies, my bad!
Back to your far-distant question, please don't lean too far towards France, unless your French is adequate enough to cope with your health issue. Contrary to popular belief, not all professionals in France speak English, esp. in such important matters. You might also have problems with "surveillance" here, but after the 2015 terrorist attacks, the majority of French citizens approve. Another factor is your healthcare coverage until you reach State Pension age. Private healthcare insurance might be expensive in view of your pre-existing health problem.
If you're really considering Continental Europe, come over to the Europe Forum and ask for advice in the various countries' sub-forums!

Novocastrian

A further apology to the non-trolly OP. As dmu says access to health care is very important and will be very tricky in Germany or Switzerland too. With your pre-existing condition even private coverage might be unavailable or stupidly expensive. From that point of view your only real alternatives are stay put or return to the UK.

The tie-breaker is where you have the better support network. You don't say if you have family or if yes, where.

hecklermp5

I agree that for healthcare/doctors the continent may be tricky/expensive compared to the NHS, if I were to set down roots in the UK. I am single, and have no kids, and have health coverage/pension from the US Govt. I get on well with conversational french

In regards to other countries, one could live in the UK and fly almost anywhere in Europe on a low fare carrier or the chunnel. So that may be a better way to go - having weekends away. Too bad Tokyo isn't within range of Ryanair I really like Japan too.. but the costs are prohibitive.

BritInParis

Japan is a non-starter unless you have a work or spouse visa. I wouldn't be considering anywhere other than the US or the UK given your health. Depending on funds a second property in another country may fulfil your desire to spend time elsewhere whilst maintaining your permanent residence (and free NHS access) in the UK.

Novocastrian

Out of interest, where in the UK were you from? Would you return to the same place(ish)? I'm thinking housing affordability and airport access here.

hecklermp5

My main stomping ground was Colchester/East Anglia. My thoughts are to probabaly live somewhere in the south of England so I wouldn't be too far from Gatwick or Heathrow.. but also be far enough outside of the crush of london (say, 1.25 hours by train - so London is accessible if needed)

I met an old friend in Cambridge last year, along with visiting Ely - seemed like a nice area..

Shard

Colchester / East Anglia very affordable. Cambridge, these days, not so much.

robin1234

Ely is still quite affordable, and very handy to Cambridge by train. Ely is a great railway hub; direct trains to London, Cambridge, Stanstead Airport, Peterborough & the Midlands, Norwich.

I now live close to Norwich. I haven't used the airport yet, but there are several flights a day to Amsterdam.

FlyingDutchman6666

Surely you meant 800.000. And it's estimated that for every migrant, 2-4 dependents will follow later.

And that's just for 2015.

Editha

With regard to your Parkinson's, you will get NHS health coverage as soon as you become resident in the UK. But, if you do find yourself on a waiting list for a consultant it is easy to speed things up by paying privately. For just a consultation, the fee is usually quite affordable, and the consultant can give you an NHS prescription for your Parkinson's drugs . You may have to pay the NHS charge for prescriptions until you are 60.

As regards non-drug therapies and support, however, entitlement gets more complicated. Physiotherapy (US: 'physical therapy'?) and Occupational Therapy are free on the NHS. Occupational therapists are usually the ones who assess what adaptations you need to your home -- grab rails, ramps etc. They may provide some equipment free of charge.

But you may also require some support from social services, for example a day-care assistant to help with housework or getting you a meal. Social services are provided by the local authority, not the NHS. Social services have been subject to severe cuts since the recession, and entitlement is also means tested.

If you do settle in the UK, you should plan to register with a GP as soon as possible after you arrive, and supply a full set of your medical notes. Ask for referrals to a neurologist, a physiotherapist and and Occupational Therapy.

You will need to contact your local authority social services department yourself for an assessment. I recommend doing this even if your income is above the level that services will be provided free of charge, because they will be able to recommend care agencies and other sources of support.

It is quite likely that your GP will want to see a UK consultant's report before prescribing Parkinson's drugs or making any other referrals.