My background
I have lived with MS for over 30 years and, as it has become more advanced, I often rely on a mobility scooter. When I can walk, my right leg gets very heavy and the toe of this foot sometimes drops, which makes me constantly alert to the threat of a nasty fall.
My body doesn’t react well to drops in temperature. Several years ago I was at an exhibition, which was part of the Galway Arts Festival. It was a beautiful summer's day and I was walking well with my stick. Suddenly, the temperature dropped. Hail battered the roof of the venue and my right leg stopped working. My flavor of MS makes living in Ireland difficult.
I noticed, when I went on holiday to a warmer and drier climate, my symptoms would be less noticeable. My walking improved, my reliance on symptom-management medication dropped, and my mood improved. This experience significantly influenced our decision to leave Ireland and move to Spain. I also have asthma and this benefits from a drier environment too.
Making a decision
We decided to be brave and take the plunge. Moving country when you live with a chronic illness is frightening. There are many issues to consider; the main one being access to healthcare and accommodation. In Ireland, we lived in a rented semi-detached house with three floors. I needed a stairlift, as there were many days when I could not face the climb. We also had the very significant risk of our landlord wanting to sell the house and having to search for a new home suitable for my worsening disability.
Access to healthcare was also becoming a challenge. The doctor was a 30-minute drive from our home and access to my neurologist was patchy (in Ireland there are not enough neurologists for our population). I often had to wait months for my prescriptions, leading to a constant state of anxiety. As we all know, stress does not make MS better.
The situation, so far
The move has had its positives and negatives.
The positives
We had some savings, which were enough for purchasing an apartment in Santa Pola, a town close to Alicante. It would not have been possible to buy a place like this in Ireland - our savings wouldn’t have come close and loans are not an option when you are on a social protection payment. The apartment we bought is built for people like me, with disabilities. The floor is tiled, with no saddles in the doorways. It has an elevator and we have our own parking space in a garage under the block. I have installed an accessible toilet and there is a shower with a stool and a handrail. It is absolute bliss compared to our previous home. Plus, it is ours, and the threat of eviction is no longer there.
I use my scooter every day. The promenade is only a 10-minute trip away, and when we get there my wife uses the scooter and I walk until I reach my limit. Then I get back on the scooter and we continue for as long as my wife wishes. In Ireland, we could not use the scooter this easily, so I often walked less than I could as I feared I could not get back to the car. This is a fantastic resource, with several toilets along its route (though they are not always open this time of the year). Toilets are a scarcity in rural Ireland, and I don’t think it is much better in the cities.
We have several grocery shops within a five to 10-minute walk, so no need for a car, and the scooter can carry the heavier items. We also don’t have to worry about the rain when we go out! Usually, we will be outside for three to four hours every day. This is bliss.
Change is good. It is an enormous benefit for my brain's health. It is forcing me to learn new things and change my behaviour.
The negatives
The bureaucracy is Spain is frustrating. It is taking a significant amount of time to get our residency, and for me to fully access the healthcare system. For now, I have temporary access and I hope this will be permanent soon. As I have an Irish Invalidity Pension, I can continue to receive this in Spain, and this entitles me to get an S1 form from the HSE, which will give me full access to healthcare here. It took nearly three months to get my S1, due to issues with the post, and I will have to go through this process every year until I get the Old Age Pension. My wife used to get Carer’s Allowance in Ireland, but she is not entitled to this since we moved. I think the department thinks I probably don’t need the help anymore, even though my disability has not changed.
They also have a long and complex system of being registered as disabled here in Spain. This could take two years to complete, but once this is done I will be able to access more supports and, critically, cheaper medicine and reduced VAT on electricity. I expected this. Perhaps, in time, there will be an EU disability register, so people like me will not have to go through this process more than once. The nearest we have to this in Ireland is the Primary Medical Certificate, which is only for access to the Disabled Drivers Scheme.
The future
There are always trade-offs no matter what we do. Before our move here, we checked everything we could, but there were a few things we could not predict. Instead of being frustrated by these obstacles, I see them as part of the adventure. I will learn what we could have done to make the transition easier, and I will write about this in the future.
For me, the main benefits of moving here are the weather and a health system that is not collapsing due to a shortage healthcare professionals.
As I am writing these final words, I am looking out at a blue sky knowing I will go for a walk in a few hours. Such a simple thing, but it makes me incredibly happy.
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