I don’t care for anybody full time at the moment, but it might not be long before I need to. Tricky situation really.
My SIL has bipolar, maybe schizophrenia. She’s 44 and always lived with her parents. To make matters more complex, she is Colombian (as is my wife, obviously). Now, whenever my wife phones home her mum talks of nothing but death and how SIL will cope on her own - she probably won’t as I don’t think there is any of the support for bipolar in Colombia as you get here, plus too many people will probably take advantage.
Father-in-law has always worked hard and has managed to save money, bought several flats (not worth much here though), so people think they are rich. He has health problems (had bowel cancer, recovered, has a stent, has high blood pressure, high cholesterol and T2 diabetes). MIL overweight but mostly in good health, but not the best decision maker.
So, wife believes that we will have to take in SIL one day, assuming she can get a visa - I did speak briefly with an MP years ago and they said if a family member is a dependent (ie both parents die) then a visa should be granted. But the world is a different place now.
Obviously neither my wife or I want to have SIL living with us, it would be very disruptive and stressful, and one of our children is behind in school and needs our support. But no idea what other solutions are available.
Also, on a more positive note, I went to a folk festival last weekend and helped a friend’s mum who has advanced rheumatism and is in a mobility chair. I enjoyed helping her out!
Currently looking into options for “granny annexes” built in the garden for SIL. The flats the family own would probably come to about £20-25k so if (when) things go south that’s what we will be looking at - although we’d expect to see a chunk of that go in the crazy bureaucracy that surrounds wills and inheritance in Colombia. No idea how any pension would migrate either.
My parents are relatively healthy, but getting older too. Nobody has money for care homes though.