Life expectancy in Germany continues to rise: people are getting older and older and are therefore increasingly dependent on care. There are currently five million people in need of care across Germany – and the number is rising. This also means that at least five million relatives have to deal with the issue of care financing. Read on to find out how much nursing care really costs and what state aid is available to those in need of care.
Nursing home: three major cost items
„Care in Germany is expensive,“ comments Focus Online editor Philine Lietzmann in an interview. How expensive it can be is still underestimated by most Germans, she says. That’s why it’s important to close this knowledge gap. It is clear that the cost of care in senior facilities varies from location to location. However, the total is generally made up of three major items: The care itself, room and board, and the facility’s capital costs. Additional services, such as for incontinence items, may be extra. Likewise the „pocket money“ for the loved ones.
Nursing home: up to 3000 euros per month
All in all, inpatient care incurs monthly costs of 2000 to 3000 euros, provided that a recognized care degree is present. The largest share of the costs is accounted for by the care activity itself, also known as the institution’s own contribution (EEE). At least 900 euros per month should plan relatives for it. „It’s worth comparing prices here,“ says Lietzmann. This is because the EEE is independent of the care level and differs from home to home.
More than 450 euros are incurred for accommodation, which includes rent and cleaning services. Together with meals of around 320 euros, that adds up to at least 770 euros for the second item. „Here, the home operator must grant a discount if the person in need of care can no longer eat the meals and is fed, for example, with a stomach tube,“ the online editor points out a possible price reduction.
The item „investment costs“ is to be planned with scarcely 450 euro. These flow into the maintenance and modernization of the senior facility. „Those who cannot afford the investment costs may be entitled to nursing home allowance,“ says Lietzmann.
Nursing home: What nursing insurance really covers
Depending on the degree of impairment – measured by the five nursing degrees – the statutory nursing insurance contributes to the costs. „You have to apply for the care degree,“ adds the Focus editor. From the classification to care degree 1, there is a relief allowance of 125 euros per month. Starting from the second care degree, those in need of care or relatives can additionally count on a subsidy for the costs of the home. Those in need of care in care level 2, for example, receive a subsidy of just under 770 euros. In the case of the highest care level, the care insurance pays 2005 euros. „If we compare these subsidies with the actual accommodation costs, we can see that the statutory nursing care insurance does not cover all the costs even for the highest nursing care grade,“ Lietzmann sums up.
Since January 2022, there has also been a benefit supplement from the second care degree onwards, which is intended to help with the steadily rising costs of care in a nursing home. This is calculated according to the length of stay of the person in need of care in the facility. In other words, the longer the person in need of care lives in the home, the higher the supplement. Residents who have lived in the home for at least three years receive a supplement of 70 percent of their own contribution.
The remaining difference, also known as the care gap, must be borne by those in need of care themselves or, in extreme cases, by their relatives. If the money at grandma, father or mother is not enough, relatives can be obliged to pay. „However, relatives who are obliged to pay maintenance can only be held financially liable if their annual gross income exceeds the amount of 100,000 euros,“ according to the Federal Ministry of Health. If they are below this amount, relatives have the option of recourse to a social welfare agency for maintenance.
Care at home: 24-hour care
Nursing care in one’s own four walls can look very different – and the costs vary accordingly. In addition to the most expensive version, 24-hour care, there is the option of an outpatient care service, senior care or preventive care. However, among the roughly 2.3 million people currently receiving care at home, expensive round-the-clock care seems to be the most popular. „The costs are in the posting model between 2200 and 3200 euros per month,“ expresses the association Verbund Pflegehilfe online. Here, too, care allowance, relief contribution and funds from the prevention care can minimize the care gap for those in need of care. Often, however, there is still a contribution that has to be paid by the patient.
Care at home: part-time care models
Outpatient care services, on the other hand, are much cheaper, but also only cover medical treatment care. „The long-term care insurance fund covers the costs of the care service. The so-called care benefits in kind are available to those in need from care level 2,“ according to the nursing assistance network. Thus, those in need of care – depending on the care grade – can expect to receive 724 to 2095 euros per month.
Senior care takes place by the hour and is also paid for in this way. „As a rule, the prices are between 25 and 35 euros per hour,“ publishes the care assistance. Relief amounts can also be used here, as well as unused care benefits in kind.
Preventive care is intended to relieve care-giving relatives on a weekly or hourly basis. „Entitlement to care benefits in kind exists from care level 2,“ says Verbund Pflegehilfe. The costs for substitute care are adjusted to the desired period and therefore vary greatly. In general, however, those in need of care from the 2nd degree are entitled to 1612 euros per year for preventive care. The allowance can even be increased to 2418 euros by unused funds from short-term care.
