Care consultation: Valuable help

Pflegeberatung: Wertvolle Hilfe

Mit Blick auf eine gesunde und sichere Zukunft

Care Guide

Care consultation:

Valuable help

Those tasked with ensuring care for a person in need – for example, a family member – are often grateful for any kind of support. In particular, absorbing, organizing, and filtering the sheer volume of information surrounding caregiving to determine which pieces are relevant to their individual situation is a real challenge for many in this new phase of life.

Those seeking advice can access a wide range of support services, including care counseling. As a first point of contact for caregivers and family members, this is an important service that provides relief, helping them gain an overview and make informed decisions.

What a care consultation provides

What a care

consultation provides

Care counselling offers assistance on all aspects of care: It provides guidance to those affected and therefore helps both experienced caregivers who may be looking for relief in their current care situation, as well as relatives who urgently need to find a solution for someone in need of care.

Who is entitled to care consultation?

Free care consultation is available to those requiring care with a care level rating and their family caregivers, who either already receive benefits from the long-term care insurance fund or have applied for them. This consultation is therefore primarily aimed at people receiving care at home. The costs of the consultation are covered by the long-term care insurance fund.

Who offers care consultation?

Who offers care

consultation?

Care consultations take place both in person and by telephone or online. You can access this support service from the following providers, for example:

Regional care support centers: In Germany, there are several hundred so-called care support centers that provide expert advice at the regional level on all aspects of care, support, and services for elderly and dependent individuals. They offer up-to-date information and advice, for example, on support services and respite care options for caregivers, or on specific topics such as dementia.
Welfare organizations: Various associations, e.g. Johanniter or Malteser, also offer care consultations and, in addition, care courses in which caregivers can learn basic knowledge in care.
Health and long-term care insurance: Health and long-term care insurance funds also offer consultation appointments and information events where you can find out about care-related topics.
Care services: Care services also offer consultations. You are welcome to schedule an appointment with our care advisors. We look forward to hearing from you!

Care consultations should be independent. This ensures that those receiving advice can be confident they are getting guidance that is entirely focused on their well-being and needs, without any third-party interests at play.

Who is allowed to offer care advice?

Who is allowed to

offer care advice?

The training and education of care advisors vary somewhat. You have found a competent contact person if they are certified and have qualified prior training, for example, a trained nurse who has undergone further training to become a care advisor.

Who conducts the care consultation?

Who conducts the

care consultation?

The consultation is conducted by specially trained care advisors.

How does the care consultation process work?

How does the care

consultation

process work?

First, contact the care advisory center of your choice. Some centers offer consultations without an appointment, while others require you to schedule an individual appointment after initial contact.

The conversation itself touches on, among other things, the following topics:

Description of your situation, your living circumstances and those of the person in need of care
Determining the type and extent of support you need
Creation of a personal care plan, which specifies which care measures will be taken and with what goal.

Based on the information gathered during an initial consultation, the advisors are able to refer clients to relevant support services and suggest services that are appropriate for their specific situation. They assist with financing options such as long-term care benefits, are familiar with the challenges of organizing care, help identify necessary care services, and can establish valuable contacts, for example, with support groups for family caregivers. All measures outlined in the care plan are regularly reviewed and adjusted as needed throughout the ongoing consultation process. In this way, those seeking advice always have a reliable contact person at their side.

How often does a care consultation take place?

How often does

a care consultation

take place?

The frequency of consultations depends largely on the extent of the care needs. Since care consultations also serve to ensure the quality of home care, those classified as needing care at levels 2 or 3 are scheduled for a consultation every 6 months; those at levels 4 or 5 are scheduled for a consultation every 3 months.

How much does a care consultation cost?

How much does a

care consultation cost?

The consultation is free of charge for those seeking advice, as it is covered by the long-term care insurance fund. The consultants then handle the billing with the long-term care insurance fund themselves.

Care consultation – conclusion

Care consultation

conclusion

Especially for those encountering the topic of caregiving for the first time, a consultation with a recognized caregiving advisory center is a good solution for organizing daily life. Caregivers who may now be reaching their limits can, with the support of a caregiving advisor, restructure their previously demanding daily routine and, for example, access the assistance of home care services. Contact the caregiving support center in your area or get in touch with familiar organizations. They will be happy to help you!

We are here for you!

We’d be happy to advise you on which services are right for you. This way, you’ll receive basic care tailored to your individual needs or those of your loved ones. Do you have any questions? Our staff will be happy to answer them. Give us a call!