Day care and night 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.

Day care and night care supports and relieves relatives who look after those in need of care at home. Day care, in particular, is also an advantage for those in need of care: Joint meals, leisure activities and excursions encourage and activate the elderly. Read more about day care and night care!

Partial inpatient care

Day care and night care are forms of day-care care (part-time care). People in need of care spend the day or night in an appropriate facility. The rest of the time (the night with day care and the day with night care) they are cared for at home.

Partly inpatient care is thus a mixture of inpatient care in the home and outpatient care at home. It can save many people from moving to a home and is a valuable relief and support for relatives.

day care

Seniors who receive home care can spend several hours in a day care center (day care center), once or several times a week. Most facilities offer day care on weekdays, some also on weekends. A driver service picks up those in need of care at home in the morning and brings them back later.

Care on working days enables relatives to pursue their job and still take on part of the home care. Even if the relatives are not employed, day care is useful in some cases, for example with dementia patients:

The people in need of care can spend the day in company outside their own four walls, eat their meals together with others and use various therapy and leisure offers of the facility. Many people come to life again through these social contacts, suggestions and activities. In addition, existing skills can be trained.

night care

Night care facilities offer care and attention from early evening until you get up the next morning. People who are very restless at night, need medical care or are alone in their apartment at night are in good hands here. As with day care, people are picked up by a driver service and brought back home. Night care workers also do many basic care activities, such as personal hygiene and dressing.

Find the right offer

The range of facilities for day care and night care is not as extensive as the range of home places. You can obtain information about day care and night care facilities in your area, for example from charities, care services and long-term care insurances.

Obtain detailed information and advice before you decide on a facility. In a day care center, for example, the daily routine should be clearly structured, but not too rigid. It should also offer those in need of care a program that suits their needs. Find out which leisure activities (handicrafts, singing, painting, excursions, etc.) are offered in addition to care. In many cases, physiotherapy, mobility exercises and memory training are also on the plan.

Day care and night care: the cost

Long-term care insurance can cover the costs of day care and night care for people with care level 2 to 5 (including the costs for the pick-up and delivery service). Prerequisite: home care is not adequately guaranteed or needs to be supplemented. The monthly cost subsidy depends on the level of care. With care level 2, for example, it is 689 euros, with care level 5 it is 1.995 euros.

The costs for food and leisure activities in the day care or night care facility are not covered by the long-term care insurance contribution. These must be borne by the insured themselves.

The right to day care and night care can be combined with care allowance and care benefits in kind.

Care level 1: No cost coverage

For people with care level 1, long-term care insurance does not pay for day care and night care. These people in need of care can, however, use the relief amount (EUR 125 per month) for the costs of day-care inpatient care.

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