Advertisement
Published: October 1st 2010
Temperatures started getting noticeably cooler at the end of August after a warm, dry and sunny summer. Fall arrived in the Stockholm area by the middle of September according to the weather bureau. So far it has offered both rainy and brilliantly clear sunny days. Temperatures are now dropping down in the low 40's at night and are reaching highs in the mid 50's during the day. It's quite pleasant when it isn't windy. We still take frequent walks in the nearby park, enjoying the fall colors that are starting to show up.
We have spent a lot of time dealing with healthcare issues during the month of September. Jack and I have had appointments to get set up with various specialists, and we also switched to a new "house doctor" (primary care physician). You can choose a doctor from any clinic around town, and change as often as you'd like. You need a referral from your primary care doctor to many specialists, but some are self-referrals. So far, all we have had to do is ask.
The health insurance system is set up to protect you from excessively high costs. The co-pay for primary care is around $20,
and for specialist, emergency room visits and hospital admissions are around $45 ea. No charge for lab work. When you have spent around $130 out of pocket, all care during the remainder of the 12-month period counting from your first paid visit is free. There is a similar high-cost protection program for drugs. You start getting some discounts after spending $130, but you have to spend $260 before the drugs become totally free. The one prescription I have filled so far cost me almost exactly the same as my co-pay in the US.
Both of my parents have been hospitalized in turn during the month of September. My father has been in twice and my mom once. This brought us into close contact both with the medical system and the eldercare system. Medical care is primarily provided through the auspices of regional governments, but there is also some private care available. Eldercare and other social services are provided by each municipality to its residents. The handoff between the two entities was not stellar, but after one disastrous 24-hour period it became clear to everyone involved that my dad had lost too much strength to climb the stairs in the
house. The municipal care coordinator (social worker), to her credit, immediately found a temporary space for him in an old age home. The care coordinator has since completed her investigation and my parents have been approved for a "service apartment". I believe this is similar to an assisted living facility in the US, but the rent here is similar to any other 2-bedroom apartment of similar vintage and location. Regular staff is available to provide help with many of the daily chores, and emergency staff are on-call at night. Unfortunately the two apartments currently available, are in a privately owned building rented by the municipality, and are pretty run down. The landlord is not willing to do any cosmetic work, only basic repairs. Handy family members will check it out on Sunday to see what can be done to freshen it up.
We did have a wonderful visit with our friends last weekend in the Stockholm archipelago (see pictures). The archipelago contains approximately 35,000 islands in a 650 sq. mi. area created during the ice age. The rocks are granite ground by ice and polished by waves. The area is enormously popular with boaters, campers and for vacation homes.
There are an estimated 50,000 vacation homes and 10,000 permanent residents scattered over the islands and shorelines. We had beautiful weather and enjoyed walks and views, along with good food, nice wine and great friends.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.1s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 5; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0772s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Mavis Kent
non-member comment
Enjoying Time
What a great area to visit. The islands look a lot like the San Juan Islands. I hope you are feeling better through more relaxed times. Also hope your parents stablize and I am glad you can be with them now. Rick and I are nearing completion of a small office building on our property and we are looking forward to having real space to work in. I have a project as part of a team to demolish and close the Goldendale Washington aluminum plant that will last into 2012. All the boys are in school and things seem to be going well. We are even having great weather right now. Keep posting blogs!