Day care and night care

No, and that is the most important point on this page. § 41 SGB XI expressly provides that people in need of long-term care with Pflegegrad 2 to 5 can use semi-inpatient day and night care “in addition to outpatient care benefits in kind, Pflegegeld or the combination benefit under § 38”, “without this being offset against these entitlements”. The Pflegegeld therefore remains fully intact. This sets day care apart from respite care and short-term care, where the Pflegegeld drops to half for the duration of the benefit. Economically, it is therefore the cheapest form of relief.

Up to €721 for Pflegegrad 2, €1,357 for grade 3, €1,685 for grade 4 and €2,085 for grade 5, each per month. They are set out directly in § 41 SGB XI with the note “as of 1 January 2025” and remain unchanged in 2026; the next scheduled adjustment under § 30 SGB XI is planned for 1 January 2028. If you read €689, €1,298, €1,612 or €1,995, those are the amounts from before 2024 – they are still in wide circulation and are up to €90 a month too low.

Accommodation, meals and investment costs. The amount under § 41 covers the care portion; everything else remains a personal contribution and is charged for every day of attendance. At two days a week this is manageable, at five it is noticeable. How much it actually comes to depends entirely on the facility – which is why we give no figure here, and instead advise getting a cost estimate with items shown separately. Two things lower the personal contribution: the Entlastungsbetrag of €131 a month, which may be used for day care, and – if the amount for your Pflegegrad is not used up – a more frugal weekly rhythm.

Often yes, but not always and not in every catchment area – and this is the point at which most day care plans fail in practice. Many facilities collect and bring back and include this in their price; others charge for it separately or serve only certain districts. Clarify this before accepting the place and have the pick-up and drop-off times stated: if the bus arrives at 7:15 and brings the person back at 16:45, this works well for family members in employment – at other times the benefit can drop considerably. Also ask what applies if the driver is ill or on holiday.

There is no separate entitlement under § 41 SGB XI – that begins at Pflegegrad 2. You can, however, still use day care with Pflegegrad 1 and fund it through the Entlastungsbetrag of €131 a month; this is precisely one of the expressly permitted uses. Over the year that is €1,572, which at many facilities covers a significant part of the cost of one regular day a week. If the condition has worsened, it is also worth submitting an application for a higher care grade: Pflegegrad 2 opens up the full entitlement, and there is no waiting period.

Day care is semi-inpatient: the person comes to the facility during the day and sleeps at home. Short-term care is temporary full inpatient care: the person lives there for a few days or weeks. The legal consequences differ considerably as a result. Day care has its own monthly amount and leaves the Pflegegeld untouched. Short-term care is funded from the combined annual budget (Gemeinsamer Jahresbetrag) of €3,539, which it shares with respite care, is limited to eight weeks a year, and only half of the Pflegegeld continues to be paid during it. The two can be combined.

This cannot be said in general and depends on the person. A common starting point is two days, because it creates structure without being overwhelming, and because it limits the personal contribution. With dementia it often turns out that a regular rhythm – always the same days – is tolerated better than changing appointments. Also do the sums: the monthly amount for your Pflegegrad determines how many days the Pflegekasse covers. More important than the number is talking to the facility after a few weeks about how things are going and adjusting, rather than stopping at the first sign of resistance.

This is the rule, not the exception – and at the start it says little about later acceptance. Settling in often takes several weeks, and many people who initially refuse go willingly later on. A trial day helps, as does a fixed rhythm rather than changing appointments, and an honest conversation with the facility about what happens in the first few hours. Also make use of care advice (Pflegeberatung): the advisers know the facilities in the area and their specialisms, and sometimes a different one simply suits better. What rarely helps is stopping after two difficult days and giving up on the relief altogether.