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Caring for older people is becoming increasingly expensive: a place in a home can quickly cost several thousand euros per month, as the example of Elfriede Weissensteiner shows.
The 84-year-old has been living in the AWO retirement home in Königsbrunn since the beginning of January. For her care level three, around 5,300 euros are charged per month – the nursing care insurance fund covers 1,319 euros. This leaves you with a personal contribution of around 3,400 euros per month.
Her son, Karl Weissensteiner, says: “To begin with, these are impressive amounts. If you’ve never been concerned with care and then suddenly you see how much it costs.” He adds: “For us it’s like this: we finance it ourselves and fortunately we have reserves.” But these savings will be used up at some point.
Financial burden becomes existential
For many nursing home residents, the financial burden becomes existential. Erika Gröning has been living here for five years retirement home: “It’s starting to be a problem now. My daughter is doing the financial things. She’s already applied for aid.”
Those affected are without sufficient resources Social assistance instructed. Seniors are allowed to keep protective assets of a maximum of 10,000 euros. Savings and your own home are often literally eaten up by home costs. Alfred Kindshofer, managing director of Barmer Bayern, points out legal adjustments: “There has been a legal regulation for three years that the longer the time spent in a nursing home, the more shares are paid by the nursing care insurance.”
Support from social welfare office required
The staggering of the personal contribution relief is clear: in the first year the nursing care fund covers 15 percent of the personal contribution, in the second year 30 percent, in the third year 50 percent and in the fourth year 75 percent. But the assets of those affected are usually exhausted earlier. Daniela Nagengast-Baumann, head of the Königsbrunn retirement home, estimates: “Over the course of months or within a year, around a third of residents find themselves in a situation where they need support from the social welfare office.”
Children only have to pay for their parents if their annual gross income is over 100,000 euros. Karl Weissensteiner is still certain that his mother feels comfortable in the Königsbrunn retirement home.
