80-year-old American: move to France saved her life

80-year-old American: move to France saved her life

Carole Carson has spent most of her life taking care of the needs of others. When her husband died four years ago, the then 80-year-old realized that it was time to do something for himself.

a fresh start in France

After a careful consideration, whether she should move to her daughter to the middle west, Carole decided instead to leave California behind and move to France where her son lives with his wife and children. In 2021 she collected all her courage and flew to Castelnau-Le-Lez, a picturesque place on the outskirts of Montpellier in southern France to venture a fresh start. She still lives there four years later.

a life -changing decision

"I don't think it is exaggerated to say that I would now have been dead if I hadn't moved to France," Carole tells the CNN Travel team. She is now happier than ever in Castelnau-Le-Lez, and her health has improved dramatically. The great -grandmother, who writes for her "home newspaper" in Nevada City, has finally realized her long -cherished dream of becoming romantic, with four published novels.

"Something that I was freed from the expectations, who was based on what I was always based on what I was always, allowed me to be the writer I always wanted to be ..." she says. "I was free to reinvent myself."

a big change at the age of 80

to make such a big change aged 80, Carole was anything but easy. "I was in this European country several times and used to consider moving there with my husband, but he wasn't so enthusiastic about the idea," she explains. "He was very a habit. And towards the end of his life I was his caregiver; he suffered from dementia, Alzheimer's and a pulmonary disease that made it difficult for him. So it was not practical."

After his death in April 2021, Carole sold her beloved home, separated from many of her possessions, applied for a visa and began the "terrifying" process of moving to France. "What really motivated me to move was the fact that I would be with the family and have a completely new beginning," she explains.

challenges in the new home

To keep her independence, Carole decided to pull into an apartment in the same building as her son and his family. However, she admits that she found the first few months incredibly difficult in her new country because she moved from a large house to a much smaller apartment. "I suddenly lived in a studio that was so hot that I could hardly breathe, and the windows could not be opened because they went out to the street," she reports. "I was not a friend; I was afraid to go to the baker to buy bread because I was not sure whether I would cope with the change or communication."

The power of writing

dealing with her husband's "enormous loss", friends, home and life she knew, as well as the change from complete independence to dependency, brought childhood trauma to light with which she had not really dealt with before. "That was really scary," she adds. In her helplessness, Carole directed her grief into the letter and began a novel that she always wanted to end but never found the time for it.

"I think I cried all the time while I wrote," she recalls. "I had tears in my eyes while I wrote, but this first book was more dictation than writing."

successful publications

carole explains that she explains the first pages of her first novel, " Blackbird ", but had never finished in the 1960s. "The idea was saved in my head for that long," she says. "When I was finally able to sit, the words just flowed." The "catarish" experience of writing helped her to cope with the turmoil in her life and to deal with some of the topics with which she had fought.

integration into the community

While Caroles developed independence, she was gradually integrating into the local community. Fortunately, she found that despite the difficulties with language, she could easily make contacts with people. "I found friends even though my French is terrible," she says. "And I have friends who are as close to me as those that I left behind in the USA."

"Friends give life meaning. I think the house can come or go. What you eat can come and go. But they are your friends, at least for me who make up your day."

health and quality of life

Carole, who has had a “series of careers” over the years, including in education and business, admits that she used to be a workaholic. Today she loves that lifestyle in France is beneficial. Nowadays, Carole spends her morning with writing before going for a walk with her “friends”. "We take the dog with us, drink coffee and chat," she says. "Then we go back and sometimes we eat together."

Carole notes that her health had decreased in the United States, but found a great change during her stay in France. "I saw some of the best doctors in the world and rate medical care as better here," she says.

conclusion: a fulfilling life in old age

Overall, she feels that her quality of life has improved in France. It enjoys a diet that contains "much less meat and much more fresh vegetables". "Living in a small house also means that you don't buy much," she adds. "I am much healthier and much happier ... and I live in a sunny climate, which will definitely help."

Carole recently terminated her US health insurance because she knew that she could not resume it. "I took over the French system a few months ago, so I no longer have to pay the $ 400 a month premium, which is nice ... I could easily live here from my social security, which I could never have in the USA. I would have needed additional income there."