Seeking protection in Iceland with severely disabled family members. Looking for brutal honesty about caregiving, work, and local attitudes.
Hello everyone,
I am writing this because my family is currently planning to seek collective protection in Iceland under Article 44, and I want to hear the unfiltered truth from locals and expats before we make this massive decision.
Our situation is complex. We are a large Ukrainian family traveling together:
• 3 healthy people (my wife, our 3-year-old child, and myself).
• Two relatives, Oleksandr and Iryna (around 55 y.o.), who have severe Cerebral Palsy and other comorbidities. We have official medical documents from Ukraine stating they require constant, round-the-clock care.
• My 77-year-old grandmother, who is completely bedridden after a severe stroke. She doesn't need much, but a specialized medical bed is absolutely critical for her survival.
Our goal and our main dilemma: We are not looking for a free ride. As soon as we get our paperwork sorted, the healthy adults (my wife and I) want to find jobs immediately and support the family. We just want a safe, quiet place where my grandmother can live out her final days far from the war.
However, we face a massive barrier: the constant care required for Oleksandr and Iryna. We are not sure if we can find local care specialists right away, or how much that would even cost. We want to know how this works in Iceland: is there some sort of financial assistance or allowance that would allow us to hire professional caregivers so my wife and I can go to work? Or does the Icelandic system allow family members to be officially employed and paid by the state as caregivers for their disabled relatives?
I have been reading a lot of rumors, and I want to ask you directly:
- What is the real attitude towards Ukrainians right now? Is there growing hate or resentment? Do locals feel like we are coming to drain tax money or burden your healthcare/social system with our heavily disabled relatives? Please be brutally honest.
- The Reality of Social Help & Caregiving: How realistic is it to get a medical bed for my grandmother provided by the system in the beginning? And how does Iceland handle the situation where refugees need 24/7 caregiving? Will we be stuck at home unable to work, or is there a functional support system for families like ours?
Thank you in advance for your time and honesty. We want to know exactly what we are walking into.