Short-Term Care

Short-term care is primarily intended to help manage crisis situations in home care or as a transitional measure following a hospital stay. Your family member who needs care will then be temporarily admitted to a nursing home. This rarely takes place in separate stations, but usually in so-called scattered locations within normal living areas. So your family member is very likely living with people who are permanently housed in the facility.

Please be aware that using short-term care requires careful planning. It’s possible that your preferred facility won’t have any openings during the desired time period. Therefore, please plan ahead. Experience has shown that family members tend to prefer the same facility time and again, since the person in need of care is already familiar with the surroundings. Although a wider range of short-term care services has become available in recent years, shortages cannot be ruled out, especially during the vacation season. That is why it is advisable to start looking for an available spot with a provider in your area as soon as possible if you anticipate needing one.

Special Considerations for Children and Adolescents

Children and adolescents under the age of 18 who require care may also receive short-term care at suitable facilities that are not authorized to provide short-term care under a contract with the long-term care insurance funds, such as facilities that provide services for people with disabilities. These homes are generally much better suited to the needs of young people than facilities for the elderly. Please be sure to include a note in your application for short-term care stating that short-term care for your child is not possible or not reasonable at an approved senior care facility.

Day Care

With day care, your family member who needs care is looked after at a nursing home during the day, usually from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The rest of the time, care is provided in the home setting. This type of supplemental care can be helpful in relieving the burden on you as a family caregiver or in better engaging your family member.

Day care centers are often affiliated directly with long-term care facilities. In recent years, however, an increasing number of day care centers have also been established under the auspices of outpatient services.

When choosing a facility, it is important to keep in mind that the day care center should not be too far from the person in need of care’s home. This is because long trips to these facilities often involve additional effort. The trip should ideally not take longer than 30 minutes. Day care guests are usually picked up from their homes and brought back, either by a contracted taxi company or by the provider itself. Many organizations offer what are known as ” trial days.” This gives you and your family member the opportunity to learn more about what we offer. Day care can be attended up to 5 days a week. Reservations for individual weekdays are also possible.