Home Care

Low-threshold care services are programs in which caregivers, under the guidance of licensed nursing professionals, provide care for individuals with significant needs for general supervision and support—either in group settings or in the home—while also relieving the burden on family caregivers and offering them advice and support. Care services can be provided by all outpatient care services as well as by commercial providers.

In addition, individuals may provide care services under Section 45a of SGB XI as part of neighborhood assistance. Under certain conditions, these services may be billed to the long-term care insurance funds through the relief allowance.

Other commercial providers in the Fulda district

When establishing a shared living arrangement for people requiring care with two to eleven residents of the same age, each resident in need of care may be granted a flat-rate shared-living allowance of 224 euros per month. To improve the shared living environment in such a group home, each person in need of care may receive start-up funding from the long-term care insurance fund for age-appropriate or barrier-free renovations. This subsidy amounts to up to 4,180 euros per person per application, but no more than 16,720 euros per shared living arrangement.

Moving isn’t always necessary when you’re no longer as mobile as you used to be. Even minor changes or renovations can help you maintain your independence and mobility in your own home or make it possible to receive care at home. A consultation at the care support center regarding home modifications will provide information on suitable measures and financial assistance.

In order to be able to move around safely in one’s own home, structural modifications are usually necessary. If a person is classified as requiring a certain level of care, the long-term care insurance funds provide grants for such renovations.

Grants can also be applied for through the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW).

Through the Fulda district, applications can be submitted to the State of Hesse for grants to make owner-occupied homes accessible to people with disabilities.

The “Meals on Wheels” program offers a great way to enjoy a hot meal every day without having to cook for yourself. A variety of freshly prepared meals (usually with several options to choose from each day) are available in different dietary options, such as healthy and balanced full-course meals, diabetic meals, and vegetarian menus, etc. These are delivered either hot or cold. “Cold meals” means that the food is flash-frozen and delivered to you by a driver in a frozen state. You then need to heat the food yourself in the microwave or oven. The advantage for you: The meals can be easily prepared at your desired time of day. Hot meals mean the food is delivered directly to your home, hot and hygienically packaged in a thermal box, and is ready to eat immediately. The driver will pick up the box with the next delivery.

Service Providers in the Fulda District

Household assistance is a great help to many people who, due to their illness(es), are limited in their ability to perform household tasks, can no longer leave the house on their own, or wish to have social contact (conversation and interaction). This can often prevent—or at least delay—a move to a nursing home.
Important: You should choose someone you get along with and trust!
Housekeeping assistance can be provided by all home care services. In addition to many home care services, there are also commercial providers that offer housekeeping assistance.

 
Commercial service providers in the Fulda County area

In-home emergency call systems can help ensure greater safety within one’s own home. They enable older, disabled, or ill people to remain in their familiar surroundings. A contact person is available 365 days a year, and in an emergency, help can be summoned quickly and directly. Long-term care insurance providers contribute toward the cost of a home emergency call system if the individual has been assigned a recognized care level.

Vendor

Under the Care Leave Act, employees have the right to take up to ten workdays off from work to organize appropriate care for a close relative in need of care. They are entitled to compensation for lost wages (care support allowance).

• All employees are entitled to leave due to a temporary inability to work.
• A medical certificate attesting to the close relative’s need for care and the necessity of organizing or personally providing care tailored to that need must be submitted.
• The care support allowance amounts to 90% of the lost net wages and may not exceed 70% of the contribution assessment ceiling.
• Contributions to health, pension, and unemployment insurance must be paid from the long-term care support allowance. The insured person and the long-term care insurance fund each pay half of the contributions.

Caregiving leave allows working individuals to care for a family member in need of care for a specified period of time.

Anyone who takes advantage of the option to take a full or partial leave of absence from work for six months to care for a close family member is legally entitled to an interest-free loan. This is intended to make it easier for those affected to cover their living expenses during the caregiving period. The legal right to leave does not apply to employers with 15 or fewer employees.

There is also a legal right to 24 months of family care leave. During this time, employees providing care can reduce their working hours to a minimum of 15 hours per week. You can offset the loss of income with an interest-free loan, which must be applied for through the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society Affairs. The entitlement to care leave applies only to employers with at least 16 regular employees.

The various options for time off to care for close relatives can be combined. The total duration is limited to a maximum of 24 months.

These regulations also apply to parents and relatives of children in need of care who are not cared for at home but in a residential facility. It is also possible to reduce working hours fully or partially for up to three months to accompany a seriously ill relative during the final stages of life.

Service providers offer assistance in establishing contact with caregivers. For example, they may send workers from Eastern European EU accession countries abroad or place self-employed individuals. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the relevant contract terms and ensure that the employment relationship is legal. You can find information, for example, at the Consumer Advice Center of Hesse, the Federal Association for Home Care and Nursing (Bundesverband für häusliche Betreuung und Pflege e. V.), and the Central Agency for Foreign and Specialized Placement (ZAV) in Bonn.