First of all, caregiving is physically demanding. This is often underestimated at the beginning of care for the person in need of care. Examples include providing assistance at night or helping with lifting and repositioning. Attending training sessions is also recommended to help protect your own health. These sessions are extremely helpful in meeting the needs of a family member who requires care.

In addition, the often significant time commitment required for caregiving frequently leads to a sharp reduction in social contacts and leisure activities. In this context, it is extremely important to keep track of one’s own strengths and resources. Sharing experiences with other family caregivers is just as important as maintaining your own social connections.

In such cases, psychological factors may come into play, such as a reversal of roles between the child and the parent, a change in the personality of your family member in need of care due to illness, or the worry that you cannot leave your family member alone. The feeling of having one’s freedom restricted can also play a role here. It is important to be aware of the challenges you face so that you can meet both your family member’s needs and your own.

Last but not least, caregiving also involves a loss of income if you are no longer able to work to the same extent as before. In such cases, it may be helpful to take a caregiving leave or family caregiving leave (see “Balancing Work and Caregiving”).

Often, the focus is exclusively on the needs of your family member who requires care. But when it comes to home care, it’s just as important—if not more so—that you’re doing well!

The legislature has established various social security provisions specifically for family caregivers.

Pension Insurance

If you care for a close family member at home for at least 10 hours a week, spread over at least 2 days on a regular basis, you are considered a caregiver under the long-term care insurance system. Pension insurance pays benefits to caregivers if the care recipient is classified as care level 2–5, the caregiver does not work more than 30 hours per week in a paid capacity outside of caregiving, and is not yet receiving a full old-age pension.

Unemployment Insurance

As a caregiver, you are covered by unemployment insurance through your long-term care insurance. This also gives you the opportunity to claim unemployment benefits and employment assistance once your caregiving duties have ended. The prerequisite for this is that, immediately prior to providing care, the individual was required to be insured under the unemployment insurance program or was receiving a benefit, such as unemployment benefits. If the individual is already covered by unemployment insurance—for example, in the case of part-time employment—this provision does not apply.

Accident Insurance

If you provide at least 10 hours of care per week (spread over 2 days), you, as a caregiver, are covered by accident insurance through the long-term care insurance policy of the family member in need of care while you are performing your duties.

Health and Long-Term Care Insurance Coverage

If family insurance is an option, the family caregiver should choose it to ensure they have health and long-term care coverage. Otherwise, the caregiver must voluntarily continue to maintain health insurance coverage. Normally, the minimum premium must be paid for this, which is then reimbursed by the long-term care insurance provider upon request.