What is outpatient care? The need for care can affect any of us at any time. With outpatient care, also known as “home care”, people in need of care receive medical, nursing and domestic care in their home environment. Outpatient care and the care of people in need of care can be provided both by an outpatient care service and by relatives providing care. Outpatient nursing services come to the home several times a week or several times a day, if necessary, to relieve the burden on the patient and his relatives.
Without the diverse services of outpatient care, it would be almost inconceivable for many people in need of care to live at home in their familiar environment. An accident or serious illness can make you need care from one day to the next. Sometimes home care is temporarily necessary until you recover. However, one can also be permanently dependent on the nursing care provided by an outpatient nursing service or caring relatives.
Outpatient care: support for older people
In many cases, often with increasing age, senior citizens increasingly need care, nursing measures or supporting services. It begins with the fact that normal everyday life no longer runs so smoothly without the friendly help of neighbours or adult children and that much is more difficult than before. Later, chronic and age-related illnesses and physical and mental disabilities require nursing care. The employees of outpatient care services, close relatives or helpers of the so-called 24-hour care can help people in need of care to cope better with their everyday lives.
In some nursing homes, care is provided by caring relatives and an outpatient nursing service – depending on the level of care. In the case of care provided by caring relatives, outpatient nursing services can also be engaged on an hourly basis to relieve the burden on the relatives. And in the case of preventive care or day care and night care, nursing services take over the complete care of the person in need of care as a substitute.
Costs for outpatient nursing services
Every statutory insured acquires a legal claim to assistance through his contribution payments to the nursing care insurance if he becomes in need of nursing care. The nursing care insurance then covers the costs of outpatient nursing care services: Persons in need of long-term care receive benefits in kind (e.g. care by an outpatient nursing service) or long-term care allowance (e.g. care by a relative). Detailed information on the scope and entitlement to care services can be found in this guide article on care services.
Because every person in need of nursing care needs completely different assistance, the scope and thus also the costs of outpatient nursing care services cannot be given as a lump sum, but only as a rough estimate.
Insurance for caregiving relatives
If you care for at least 14 hours a week as a relative or if you are able to work less than 30 hours a week in your actual occupation, which is subject to social insurance contributions, you are automatically insured for pensions and accidents. You can find out more about social and legal insurance for family carers in the article Career, Family & Care.
Complex benefits in outpatient care
In the service catalogs and price lists of outpatient nursing services, you will find 17 to 30 so-called performance-related service complexes, including, for example, small basic care or large basic care. The details of these service complexes vary from state to state. A nursing service or the health insurance company at the place of residence of your relative in need of care will inform you about the number and extent of the complex of services.
Outpatient care by foreign nursing staff?
Does your relative need support and care around the clock? However, what outpatient care services can provide within the legal framework is not sufficient for comprehensive care. However, very few families can afford to pay for other additional services provided by a nursing service privately. Not only you, but many families in Germany are facing this dilemma.
Here, caregivers from Poland or other Eastern European countries often take over domestic and basic care activities such as assistance with washing and dressing, as they are often cheaper than German caregivers. Have you ever thought about using such a carer? You can find more information on this form of care in the articles on Polish nurses and 24-hour care & assistance.
Visit shuttercraft.co.uk/ for more info