Assisted living

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Assisted living offers older people the opportunity to live independently in an apartment and at the same time receive support services as required, as in a care facility. This type of living has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years.

Remain independent

The concept of assisted living promises to leave the everyday life of older people in systems for assisted living virtually unchanged compared to the "normal" apartment. If necessary, qualified assistance, security and security are just a phone call or push of a button away.

Assisted living therefore wants to combine the advantages of independent living in one's own household with the advantages of living in a well-equipped home. In line with the principle of “as much independence as possible, as much help as necessary”, the apartments are equipped for senior citizens, meet the needs of their residents and are located in a residential complex specially built for senior citizens. Usually they are designed for one or two people.

Depending on their needs, the residents of such apartments can also take advantage of services such as meals on wheels or outpatient care services.

Important criteria

At least in theory. Because so far there are no binding standards for assisted living. Therefore, the quality, type and scope of support vary widely. Some operators of systems for assisted living can offer an extensive range of services, while others offer little more than a caretaker service.

If you are interested in the concept of assisted living (be it for yourself or a loved one), you should definitely compare different offers and their costs so that you don't end up with any nasty surprises. Many cities and municipalities offer an overview of the regional range of options for assisted living. Important points and tips when choosing a suitable facility are:

Have detailed information about the various houses sent to you. Take a look at several houses and check the offers based on your personal preferences (or those of your loved one). If possible, talk to the residents.
The housing offer should include a self-contained apartment (owned or rented) that is barrier-free.
The technical requirements for connection to an emergency call facility should be available in the apartment.
The residential complex should be centrally located and shops, doctors and pharmacies should be within walking distance. It is also good if public transport is nearby.
In addition, common areas are important, which promote communication and coexistence among tenants.
Check whether the operator covers the basic services. According to the consumer advice center, this includes emergency call, contact person and caretaker service. You can also compare the optional services such as domestic help, ironing service, meals on wheels and assistance with dealing with authorities. You usually pay for both services with a monthly flat rate.
Pay attention to an exact breakdown of the costs, especially the additional services. Excessive care flat rates often cancel out apparently cheap rents.
As a rule, residents conclude two contracts: a rental or purchase contract for the apartment and a care contract. Check these contracts carefully! According to the consumer advice center, the costs for the basic services are at least 15 euros, if the caregiver is present and the home emergency call is 60 to 150 euros.
Make sure you clarify what happens when you become dependent. The operators usually offer short-term care, for example after an illness. There must be sufficient outpatient care services for permanent care cases.
The rental contract should not contain any clause according to which the deterioration in the state of health or the onset of need for care leads to the termination of the contract.

The rents for assisted living are generally somewhat higher than the comparable local rents, as the residents also bear the costs for the common rooms. Under certain conditions there is an entitlement to (partial) assumption of costs, e.g. B. via housing eligibility certificate, housing benefit or through the social welfare office. Inform yourself!

Supervised shared apartments

Assisted living communities are intended for people who can no longer get on well on their own. The aim is to master everyday life in the community.

The residents of an assisted living group live in barrier-free converted apartments. The kitchen and living room are all shared, and each resident has their own room to retreat to.

Caregivers support the flat share, for example organize the household and organize everyday life. As with outpatient care, the outpatient service takes care of older tenants when they are in need of care.

The residents pay the costs for their private rooms and proportionally for the common rooms, household allowance and support staff. In addition, there may be individual care costs.

So far, the number of assisted living communities in Germany is still very limited. According to the BMB residential group study, there were just over 3,000 shared apartments in all 16 federal states in 2017.

Promotion of residential groups

Residential groups with outpatient care are shared apartments with at least three people in need of care, with the purpose of jointly organized nursing care.

People in need of care (including those in care level 1) who live in an assisted living group can apply for a so-called group living surcharge of 214 euros per month. One of the prerequisites is that a nurse takes on organizational and nursing tasks. In the case of a start-up with at least three residents, you can apply for start-up funding of 2,500 euros per resident and a maximum of 10,000 euros in total.

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