She (finally!) acknowledges that she needs to live nearer an adult child. I am 500 miles away, in another state; my sister lives in Germany, my mother's country of origin & still home to many friends and relations. Said sister has a lovely AL facility nearby, so mom's ideal choice would be to go there. So AL facility is not an issue; medical insurance, however, is. Her Medicare Advantage will not apply to medical bills in Germany. Does anyone know of insurance, private or otherwise, that will? Thank you so much for your help.
Sometimes these elders can by mighty "veraenderlich."
I am grateful for your thoughtful responses.
It's my understanding that other religions have similar organizations.
What is your Mother's second choice? Is she a healthy 90 y.o.?
I do wonder how your mother will manage the flight? It is a long trip, could be made longer by connecting flights. Who will accompany her? Have you checked with the airlines about how they can accommodate her? My Dad and step-mother stopped taking long haul flights when they were 84. They had done them annually up until that point and were used to international travel, airport transfers and security checks.
Good luck.
Yes, my mother lived and worked in Germany; yes, she still speaks German -- her native language -- fluently; and as far as I know, she is still a citizen (green card in US).
I am grateful for the suggestions. Will post an update when there is one.
This is something that sis needs to research knowing more about German laws and policy.
I hope reading this will not make you lose the will to live, but here is a link to the EU's own pdf introduction to social security rights in Germany...
ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=13751&langId=en
In particular, it includes links to local websites which your sister might find informative. It also mentions reciprocal arrangements with other countries, though I haven't been to look to see whether that includes the USA.
One thing to bear in mind is that Germany too is a federal state, so which state your sister lives in might make a difference. Could be, for example, "wir sind doch im Bayern..." and nothing is quite the same as anywhere else.
A great deal will of course depend on whether or not your mother remains a German citizen and how long your sister has been living (and working?) in Germany.