Inpatient care

and Martina Feichter, medical editor and biologist

Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Inpatient care in a nursing home is intended for people who cannot (no longer) receive outpatient care at home. There is a flat-rate subsidy from the long-term care insurance for care costs. The insured must pay the remaining costs themselves.Read more about inpatient care!

Inpatient care is often unavoidable

Most people wish to live at home for as long as possible. However, there are situations in which care in a home (inpatient care) becomes unavoidable because comprehensive care around the clock is necessary. This includes, for example, advanced dementia.

In December 2015, around 783,000 people in need of care received full inpatient care in nursing homes. This corresponds to 27 percent and thus slightly more than a quarter of all people in need of care. The remaining three quarters were cared for at home (73 percent or 2.08 million people). Compared to December 2013, the number of full inpatient permanent care increased by 2.5 percent (19,000 people).

Plan inpatient care at an early stage

The change from home / outpatient to inpatient care means one thing above all for those affected: They have to leave their own home and move to a home. However, shifting the focus of life does not automatically mean that you have to give up all of your previous lifestyle habits - provided that the person in need of care is accommodated in a nursing home that suits them. It is therefore important for those in need of care and their relatives to look for a suitable home as early as possible.

Choosing the right nursing home

Homes that offer inpatient care are managed and managed by different providers. It is important to compare the offers and prices, but above all the quality of the different nursing homes.

Because there are good and bad nursing homes - the nursing scandals of recent years have shown that. So choose the nursing home in which your relative will live and receive inpatient care in the future. This is often a difficult endeavor because you have to rely on voluntary information from the home. In many homes there are also long waiting lists.

Do not fill out an application for a home place after a single conversation with the care management. Otherwise you run the risk that an elderly person will have to spend their life in a home that does not meet their needs or where inpatient care may be inadequate.

At first glance, most of the homes appear clean and the caregivers are friendly and nice. But that says nothing about the quality or the human aspect of care. Visit the home several times, spend some time there, also paying attention to your gut instinct.

"Maintenance TÜV"

Since the care reform there has been a "care TÜV": Outpatient and inpatient care facilities receive grades from the inspection service of the health insurance companies. They are checked annually - for example in the areas of care and medical care as well as care and everyday life (nursing homes) or nursing services, services and organization (outpatient care services).

In inpatient care facilities, the controls are unannounced. In outpatient facilities, the quality tests are announced one day in advance.

The results of the tests - the quality reports - must be published in an understandable form and free of charge, for example on the Internet. In addition, they should be displayed in a clearly visible place in care facilities (such as in the entrance area). The aim is to promote quality competition and transparency.

Important criteria when choosing a nursing home

Depending on the underlying illness, different things are important when choosing a facility with inpatient care. For dementia patients, for example, larger common rooms or protected "hiking trails" in which they can walk around are very advantageous. Ward kitchens, in which dementia patients can help with baking or cooking, also convey a sense of security and challenge the patients.

For people who are no longer mobile, but still mentally active, the furnishing of the room, an activating care concept and the cultural offers are particularly important.

Healthy mix

Some facilities with inpatient care occupy a ward with both dementia sufferers and the mentally healthy. This can have advantages for both groups: the sane have a task, they can have a calming effect on the demented person and give them a feeling of security. However, some people perceive the spiritual decline that they witness in others as a threat because it may be imminent for them themselves.

In some homes there are also closed wards for mentally confused people. Take a close look at the common rooms in this area, as they are the only way for residents to socialize with others. Ask how the home deals with freedom restrictions. Sometimes old people get fixated due to a lack of staff.

Inpatient care costs

When you have decided on a home, ask for a sample home contract. Read it calmly and ask if anything is unclear. Are the home costs broken down in detail? The home fee is made up of three components: the costs for care, accommodation and meals as well as for separately calculable investment costs.

Long-term care insurance pays a lump sum in kind for inpatient care for people with care levels 2 to 5. For example, it amounts to 770 euros per month for care level 2 and 2,005 euros per month for care level 5. This flat rate is intended for care expenses, medical treatment care and care in the home.

In order to cover these care costs, the insured must also make a contribution. How high this is depends on the establishment of inpatient care, but not on the level of care. That means: All those in need of care in care levels 2 to 5 pay the same care-related contribution in one and the same home.

Those in need of care or their relatives must also pay for the costs of food, accommodation and investments.