Elderly care, geriatric care

Short-Term Care (The responsible contact is the Birkenfeld District Administration / Social Services Office)


Short-term care provides temporary, full-time inpatient care and support for people in need of care who would otherwise be cared for and supported in their home environment. This allows family members and caregivers to take a break from caregiving, making it possible for them to take vacations and rest. In other cases, it can bridge gaps caused by illness or other absences of family members or caregivers. Under certain circumstances, hospital stays can be avoided or shortened. Short-term care can also be used for follow-up care after a serious illness.
In some cases, short-term care can also be used to familiarize a person with the residential care setting in order to prepare for or facilitate a necessary admission to a care facility.

Day Care (The responsible contact is the Birkenfeld District Administration / Social Services Office)


Day care is ideal for helping older adults who require care maintain a degree of independence. It provides respite for family members and helps relieve the burden on family caregivers. Social counseling and support, supplemented by medical, therapeutic, and nursing services, often leads to the activation and rehabilitation of older adults.
Day care provides care and support for older adults that conceptually falls between home care and full-time residential care. Older adults in need of care spend only the daytime hours—on some or all weekdays—at a facility. Care and support during the night, in the morning and evening, and, if necessary, on weekends, are provided elsewhere in the home environment.

Long-Term Residential Care (The responsible contact is the Birkenfeld District Administration / Social Services Office)


This institutionalized form of housing and care is characterized by drastic changes in a person’s living circumstances. When determining the type of housing based on residents’ needs for assistance and care, as well as in the classification of independent and non-independent living arrangements, different types of facilities emerge, which are categorized as senior living facilities, retirement homes, and nursing homes.
Drawing a clear distinction is problematic, on the one hand, because these facilities often exist in combined forms and their functions are not always clearly distinguishable.

Legally, only the “assisted living” housing model needs to be distinguished. It does not fall under the scope of the Residential Care Facilities Act, but is increasingly taking on the function of a residential home for the elderly.

Retirement Homes


Senior living communities offer a high degree of independent living with a relatively limited level of care. They consist of a collection of self-contained apartments designed to meet the specific needs of older adults in terms of layout, amenities, and furnishings.
The goal is to enable residents to lead independent lives for as long as possible. If necessary, it is the responsibility of the operator to organize and ensure meals, care, and support. However, the care and support services offered should not restrict residents’ independence in their daily lives.

Nursing Homes


Retirement homes are designed for older adults who do not manage their own households. There, they receive housing, meals, and care. Unlike in senior living facilities, residents of retirement homes give up some of their independence by no longer managing their own households.
However, retirement homes offer a high degree of freedom through private living spaces and common areas that resemble a home.

Nursing Homes


Nursing homes provide comprehensive care, support, and assistance to people who require nursing care and those with chronic illnesses. Depending on their facilities, equipment, and staffing, nursing homes are designed to maintain or even improve residents’ physical, mental, and social abilities.
Given that the range of services covers all aspects of daily living, the nursing home must, in addition to its standard services—particularly basic care and general support—identify and meet each resident’s individual needs.

see also

Assisted Living

Care Allowance—Checklist and Eligibility

Care courses for relatives

Long-term care insurance