For many years, retiring to the sunnier climes of Spain, France, Portugal, Greece etc. has been a dream that many Brits have embraced. Spain alone is home to 380,000 UK expats.

But uncertainties over the post-Brexit logistics of living in EU countries and now worries about health care in the age of coronavirus mean that more and more expats are considering a move back home. In some cases they are people who require immediate residential care, in others they are people who might struggle to live independently in the longer term.

The residential care picture in Europe, especially in Southern Europe, is very different from the picture in the UK. For one thing, it is more traditional for the elderly to live with their families. That in itself may be a positive thing, but the negative knock-on effect is that there are less residential care homes and the ones there are can be prohibitively expensive. And of course, the price of care for expats living in the EU who depend on their British pensions has risen in the last couple of years as the pound has weakened against the Euro.

A combination of all the above factors means Coate Water Care have seen the volume of enquiries from returning expats increase considerably. But even before Brexit and the coronavirus, many older expats who found themselves in need of care were keen to return to the UK. As people begin to feel more fragile with age, the idea of being closer to friends and family, not to mention carers and nurses who speak the same language, becomes more and more important. A family-run care provider like Coate Water that prides itself on providing a ‘home away from home’, then becomes a very appealing option.

Of course, returning to the UK and establishing how much, if anything, you will be required to pay towards residential care can be quite a complicated and bureaucratic process. Luckily, Age UK has produced two very helpful fact sheets which you can access here.

•Returning from abroad https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs25_returning_from_abroad_fcs.pdf
•Paying for permanent residential care https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs10_paying_for_permanent_residential_care_fcs.pdf

Once you have made a firm decision to move back to the UK, Coate Water Care would welcome a visit from either yourself or family members on your behalf to any of our nine outstanding care homes in Swindon, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

In the meantime, if you have any questions at all about our care homes, the logistics of returning from abroad, or the ins and outs of financing residential care, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly Welcome Team on 01793 821200 or enquiries@coatewatercare.co.uk