Quote:
Originally Posted by aceflor
apart from this thread (which I now just simply adore), this place is getting sicker by the minute. And not necessarily because of the posters.
I don't know when you have been living in Germany and for how long, but I lived permanently there the last 20 years and only moved last june to Spain. The big trend in Germany is very clearly to "betreutes Wohnen", which translated is something like sheltered living for elderly, which permits older people to keep their independence living in special residences in their own flats equipped with a panic button with a medical team on the premises 24/7. My mother in law lives in one of those, so do all her friends (which is why she decided on her own to move there, although she is perfectly healthy).
In the Eiffel, a region I know well, which is still totally countryside, you may have elderly living with their children, or more often the children live not far away from their parents, but mostly because they own land and work in the agriculture, so they have interests in common.
In the cities, betreutes Wohnen is absolutely normal. So normal, as a matter of fact, and so used, that it is considered one of the last very good investment for investors looking for good business opportunity to park their money. Our bank keeps sending us leaflets about those.
In Spain, if your old parent is not living next door or in your house, everyone thinks it is shameful and let you know. The "abuelos" are pretty much in charge of their grandkids, thus no professional babysitting here.
Retirement houses are very, very rare, and when, it is the extranjeros (the foreigners) that live in them.
I am married to a german guy, so it is not a criticism on my part, just a comment.
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well the last time I came back was in '89, but it is true that both times I lived in farm towns and commuted to the big cities. the first time in Bavaria, the second in Hess