2620 Retiring to Puglia with 78 year old mother

Welcome to the forum Margaret, there are many members of the forum based in Puglia, they are also developing a bit of a party circuit, I am sure some of them will contact you on this thread.

[QUOTE=GeorgeS]Welcome to the forum Margaret, there are many members of the forum based in Puglia, they are also developing a bit of a party circuit, I am sure some of them will contact you on this thread.[/QUOTE]

Thanks George

It will be nice to help mum settle in, especially if she can actually talk to some people. We are hoping to mix with locals as well, and don't know how our two very territorial dogs would take a party, but contact with more experienced people out there will be nice.

[QUOTE=MargaretM]Thanks George

It will be nice to help mum settle in, especially if she can actually talk to some people. We are hoping to mix with locals as well, and don't know how our two very territorial dogs would take a party, but contact with more experienced people out there will be nice.[/QUOTE]
No problem, Margaret, I wish you well with your move.

Hello Margaret and welcome to the forum. We`ve been living in Puglia for 18 months and owned our trullo (soon to be sold) for several years before that. We`re not retired - we have 2 daughters aged 11 and 12. However, there are plenty of us down here, some retired and some still working. We don`t tend to live an ex-pat lifestyle, as we already had lots of local friends before we moved here, however it is nice to be able to chat to Brits from time to time. There is quite a social life down here and you will be able to dip in and out as much as you like! Good luck with the house purchase - look us up when you`re down here next time (either send us a PM or an email or telephone - no. at bottom of this). We look forward to meeting you and I`m sure we can introduce you to some others!!
Hazel:)

[QUOTE=The Smiths in Puglia]Hello Margaret and welcome to the forum. We`ve been living in Puglia for 18 months and owned our trullo (soon to be sold) for several years before that. We`re not retired - we have 2 daughters aged 11 and 12. However, there are plenty of us down here, some retired and some still working. We don`t tend to live an ex-pat lifestyle, as we already had lots of local friends before we moved here, however it is nice to be able to chat to Brits from time to time. There is quite a social life down here and you will be able to dip in and out as much as you like! Good luck with the house purchase - look us up when you`re down here next time (either send us a PM or an email or telephone - no. at bottom of this). We look forward to meeting you and I`m sure we can introduce you to some others!!
Hazel:)[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the welcome. We are flying out to complete the purchase on 28th March, but will only be a 48 hour visit as our son is "dog sitting" and has to work at the weekend. Our dogs are german shepherd/collie cross brothers, just over 4 years old, and quite a handful.

Our "children" are 22 and 24, and not quite ready to re-locate yet, but may well do once we are settled. My mother has been a widow for 20 years, and with my brother - also retired at 52 - sailing his yacht slowly to the Greek Isles, she says she has been on her own for long enough.

Our move is likely to happen in stages over the next several months, as amongst other things we have to tidy up business matters at this end and get the dogs (and cat) their necessary paperwork. Once the dogs and mum are out there one of us will have to remain in Puglia with them, although the other one may pop back and forth to the UK for another couple of years, selling up the rest of our stuff back here. Hopefully that will be hubby - I am looking forward to the relaxed lifestyle and SUN - the North East is not the best place to be for weather!!

I look forward to meeting you sometime in the summer, I think we will be just too busy in March.

Margaret

I wish you luck with your progression in Italian language.

I dont know where you are based in the UK now - but if you are in Bedfordshire - I can recommend a very good teacher - tho - all I did was phoned the Italian Consonsulate - and asked them to recommend me someone.

It must be quite difficult for your mother to live in a different country than her native one - in time there maybe many issues with regard to medical treatment - I would urge you to get a one on one teacher in the UK for now - I have done college courses - but I found a I have learnt 5 times as much in one lesson than I did at college - which moved too slowly for me or I found I had holes in my understanding because I was too scared or didnt want to disturb the flow of the class, to ask in front of the class!!! Further - if its one to one - it tends to be tailor made to your requirements or interests.

I really cant think what it would be like if I was 78 and moving to a foreign country - I would hope that I would have an open mind. I dont know how able your mother is - the woman that is over the road from my house is 91 and still able - and loves to get us to practice our Italian on her.

There is an ex pat magazine - cant remember the web address - in fact I think there is a link for it on the home page of [url]www.livinginitaly.co.uk[/url]

Just an idea - if your mother is able bodied (or even not) - I would buy her a PAYG (well topped up) Italian mobile with important numbers on it - such that she can contact someone at any point (with quick links on the phone, no typing numbers) that can speak Italian to a situation that she comes across that she cant deal with. It could be that she gets the Italian speaking person to speak directly with the Italian in her own situation. You can get phones now that light up too.

I hope this is not a bad post - I am just trying to imagine - what I would feel like in her situation.

[QUOTE=GlenB]I wish you luck with your progression in Italian language.

I dont know where you are based in the UK now - but if you are in Bedfordshire - I can recommend a very good teacher - tho - all I did was phoned the Italian Consonsulate - and asked them to recommend me someone.
It must be quite difficult for your mother to live in a different country than her native one - in time there maybe many issues with regard to medical treatment - I would urge you to get a one on one teacher in the UK for now - I have done college courses - but I found a I have learnt 5 times as much in one lesson than I did at college - which moved too slowly for me or I found I had holes in my understanding because I was too scared or didnt want to disturb the flow of the class, to ask in front of the class!!! Further - if its one to one - it tends to be tailor made to your requirements or interests.

I really cant think what it would be like if I was 78 and moving to a foreign country - I would hope that I would have an open mind. I dont know how able your mother is - the woman that is over the road from my house is 91 and still able - and loves to get us to practice our Italian on her.

There is an ex pat magazine - cant remember the web address - in fact I think there is a link for it on the home page of [url]www.livinginitaly.co.uk[/url][/QUOTE]

We have Italian for Dummies, and I am writing my shopping list in Italian now. I don't expect my mother to learn Italian, although she has bought herself a phrase book. We are in the North East, so Bedfordshire would be quite a journey!

She is quite able - only suffering a little from arthritis in the damp weather - so hopefully that will improve. She is well travelled - my father used to be an engineer on oil tankers and she travelled quite a bit with him - and loves our foreign holidays so I think she will be ok. She is not selling her house straight away, in case she absolutely hates it and wants to come home, but I think if we can get her a bit of English TV - Coronation Street is a must - and some English people to talk to, she will be able to settle.

I have edited my post!

what do you think about the mobile phone idea?

Also think about getting Michel Thomas CD's - no writing or learning involved!

[QUOTE=GlenB]I have edited my post!

what do you think about the mobile phone idea?

Also think about getting Michel Thomas CD's - no writing or learning involved![/QUOTE]

She has a mobile phone now, so we will probably investigate getting her an Italian SIMM. I doubt whether she will venture out without one of us, but I will certainly have a look into this.

It really is kind of you to be thinking this way for her. Any advice from anyone on how to make her life easier out there will be much appreciated. I do not want to have to fly home regularly because she doesn't like it there - and I dread to think what would happen if she stayed in England and had an accident.

HI Margaret
Whereabouts in Puglia are you buying? We are just outside of Ostuni.
I am retiring later this year and we shall be spending a lot of time out there soon. Not moving permanently though, still working part-time in the UK.
At the moment we are having some internal alterations, but will be getting out soon. We'd be happy to meet up later on.
Check out the threads concerning language here. There have been many posts on this.
I'd endorse the Michel Thomas recommendation though. Its an escellent way to start and then you can follow up with the advanced course.

Best wishes

Brian.

[QUOTE=brian]HI Margaret
Whereabouts in Puglia are you buying? We are just outside of Ostuni.
I am retiring later this year and we shall be spending a lot of time out there soon. Not moving permanently though, still working part-time in the UK.
At the moment we are having some internal alterations, but will be getting out soon. We'd be happy to meet up later on.
Check out the threads concerning language here. There have been many posts on this.
I'd endorse the Michel Thomas recommendation though. Its an escellent way to start and then you can follow up with the advanced course.

Best wishes

Brian.[/QUOTE]
Hi Brian

We are just south of San Vito dei Normanni, and hope to be moved permanently by the end of the year. We need to move furniture, mum, dogs and a cat gradually, but once that is done one of us will stay with them. Mum couldn't manage dogs on her own.

Would love to meet up some time. Actually we are not that far from you now, being in Northumberland.

Thanks for the language advice, will have a look at Michael Thomas.

Kind regards.
Margaret

From Gateshead myslf like, Listen, Coronation street is difficult to get out here, possibly impossible, But if you can gently wean her onto Eastenders, that's on sky, it's very exciting just now because, ZZZzzzzzzz oopps, sorry pet, dropped off just then....

Hi Margaret,

Welcome to the forum!
We have bought a house not in Puglia but Calabria (just across the way, so to speak) and currently we are on the Northumbrian/Cumbrian border but we are hoping to sell up here and move to Italy full-time asap.
Every visit we make to Calabria is better than the last - and the people are so lovely I'm sure your mother will have no problem settling in
Whereabouts in Northumberland are you? (I'm originally from Blyth).
Send me a Private Message if you prefer.

Best wishes, Lesley & Brian

[QUOTE=iwanttobeinitaly]Hi Margaret,

Welcome to the forum!
We have bought a house not in Puglia but Calabria (just across the way, so to speak) and currently we are on the Northumbrian/Cumbrian border but we are hoping to sell up here and move to Italy full-time asap.
Every visit we make to Calabria is better than the last - and the people are so lovely I'm sure your mother will have no problem settling in
Whereabouts in Northumberland are you? (I'm originally from Blyth).
Send me a Private Message if you prefer.

Best wishes, Lesley & Brian[/QUOTE]

Hi Lesley and Brian

I have sent you a PM. You will see we are (were) almost neighbours.

We are luckly that we don't need to sell up first, so mum can keep her house in Cramlington for a while in case she doesn't settle, but I am sure she will. I told her all about this forum at lunch today - we lunch every Saturday - so she already feels happier, knowing there will be Brits she can speak to. She is quite excited about the move anyway, and I hope to take her over there around May to show her around.

Here's to Christmas in Italy - we all hope!!!

Margaret

[QUOTE=GeorgeS]From Gateshead myslf like, Listen, Coronation street is difficult to get out here, possibly impossible, But if you can gently wean her onto Eastenders, that's on sky, it's very exciting just now because, ZZZzzzzzzz oopps, sorry pet, dropped off just then....[/QUOTE]

daughter is a (lapsed) member of Gateshead Harriers, although she has started training there again recently.

[QUOTE=MargaretM]daughter is a (lapsed) member of Gateshead Harriers, although she has started training there again recently.[/QUOTE]
Its over thirty years since I was last living up there, the stadium she trains at was just built when I left, I even sold a lot of the fixings they used building it...computers were the size of a semi detached house then too.. Ohhh, off for a lie down feeling very old now...:D
Just realised, I was working in Cramlington when I sold the fixings, small ish world ehhhhh.

[QUOTE=GeorgeS]Its over thirty years since I was last living up there, the stadium she trains at was just built when I left, I even sold a lot of the fixings they used building it...computers were the size of a semi detached house then too.. Ohhh, off for a lie down feeling very old now...:D
Just realised, I was working in Cramlington when I sold the fixings, small ish world ehhhhh.[/QUOTE]

scary really. My mum lives in Cramlington - at least for now.

We have a holiday villa south of San Vito off the Brindisi road, a righthand turning after the San Vito dei Normandi hotel/residenti, then the second left.

Try this Puglian Posse site for new friends:
[url]http://www.puglia-posse.com/[/url]

Speaking italian is a good idea, part of the beautiful country is the people, so a little goes a long way. I am rubbish at language but I am determined to get better. Lessons help too, make you feel less isolated, and you can do then in Ostuni, check out the web-site above for more details and threads in your new area. Good luck, you will love it!

[QUOTE=elainecraig]We have a holiday villa south of San Vito off the Brindisi road, a righthand turning after the San Vito dei Normandi hotel/residenti, then the second left.

Try this Puglian Posse site for new friends:
[url]http://www.puglia-posse.com/[/url]

Speaking italian is a good idea, part of the beautiful country is the people, so a little goes a long way. I am rubbish at language but I am determined to get better. Lessons help too, make you feel less isolated, and you can do then in Ostuni, check out the web-site above for more details and threads in your new area. Good luck, you will love it![/QUOTE]

Hello Elaine

Already registered on Puglia Posse, and made contact with a few people. San Vito seems to be very popular, so I think we must have made the right choice. Can't wait to get out there. 12 months ago mum said she wouldn't go with us, but has gradually changed her mind. Now she is clearing out her rubbish quicker than us!!

Hi Margaret, an important area to consider for all but especially our parents is health care provision. I'm not an expert in this field as having lived outside the EU for so long I'm no longer entitled to free coverage and rely on BUPA when in Italy as elsewhere. However, surely there are Forum members who can advise what you need to obtain by way of paperwork from the DHSS in Britain before you leave? Correct me if I'm wrong someone but isn't it an E111 that covers you for the first 3 months and then you register with your local health authority for continuing free coverage???

There has been a thread about this previously but in essence there is a different (E112 or something) that pensioners can get which entitles them to free treatment indefinitely.
A search would find the thread (by Alex and Lynn I think) and the subject has been covered comprehensively

Best wishes, Lesley