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Care allowance
Anyone who relies on another person to help them in their daily life is entitled to Attendance Allowance. This could be a physically or mentally disabled person, or an ageing person with reduced mobility or dementia, which makes them unable to function normally.
The allowance should therefore enable such a person to have their care funded by, for example, a care service or a family member who is often forced to give up their own job to care for the person who is unable to do so.
Grades and amount of allowance
The Civil Code classifies the degree of a person’s dependence on someone else’s care into four levels:
- Light dependence: occurs when a person is unable to perform 3-4 basic life needs. The care allowance is CZK 880 per month.
- Moderate dependence: the person is unable to perform 5-6 basic life needs. The care allowance is 4400 crowns per month.
- Severe dependency: The person is unable to perform 7-8 basic needs of life. The care allowance is 12800 crowns per month.
- Total dependence: the person is unable to perform 9-10 basic needs of life. The care allowance is CZK 19200 per month.
Thebasic needs of life include: mobility, orientation, communication, eating, dressing and footwear, personal hygiene, performing physiological needs (defecation), health care, personal activities and household care.
How to apply for the allowance
There are two ways to apply for the allowance:
- Online: Either by electronic submission, for which you need a qualified certificate for electronic signature, or via a data box. Completed and signed forms must be sent to the Czech Labour Office.
- Physically: you can also apply in the traditional form. The completed application can then be delivered in person to the regional branch of the Labour Office or sent by post.
What is assessed
After the application is submitted, the person’s condition is assessed and the degree of dependence and the amount of the allowance is determined. First of all, the social aspect is assessed, where the person’s ability to function independently in his or her natural social environment is determined. In addition, the person’s state of health is assessed on the basis of medical reports.
Tip: Were you not awarded care allowance even though you are entitled to it? Contact us. We will assess your case and draft legal services to resolve it within 24 hours.
What to do with the care allowance
If a senior citizen has been awarded a care allowance, there are several options for dealing with it. The best solution is usually care by a loved one. However, this is not realistically possible in many cases, so there are many alternative options for specialist care for the elderly.
Day care for the elderly and their types
The first group is day care for the elderly. This consists of the senior continuing to live either in his or her own home or with a close relative, but being visited daily by a care provider or by the senior himself or herself at a centre where he or she receives care. These services include:
Personal assistance
Personal assistance involves a care worker going directly to the senior’s home or wherever the senior wants to go. This is to help with normal daily activities and personal care. This can include, for example, running the household, helping with personal hygiene or helping with social contact with the elderly person’s surroundings. In addition, however, personal assistance also includes help with running errands, exercising rights, etc. Personal assistance is usually always provided by the same personal assistant and is not limited in time. It can therefore be continuous or set for any length of time and duration.
Care service
The care service can be provided directly at the elderly person’s home, but also in special social facilities. Just like personal assistance, care services help the senior with daily functioning and managing their affairs. Unlike personal assistance, however, it is provided only during a limited period of time. The care service therefore has set working hours during which it provides care, and there are usually several caregivers taking turns for one senior.
Relief service
Respite services can be outreach, outpatient or residential. Its aim is to enable the person in care to rest. It is therefore a service that stands in for a close carer if they need to go away for a period of time or simply need to rest for a while. The respite service itself then provides the same care as a care service.
Day service centres
In the case of day service centres, the senior is taken (or transported directly by the centre’s special vehicle) to a social facility. They spend time in the centre during the day and go home again in the evening. He or she receives care similar to that provided by a care service. In addition, however, the centres provide all-day meals and offer seniors various activities and programmes, such as health exercises, walks, painting or reading.
Residential care centres
Residential care centres are divided into day and weekly centres. Day boarding consists of seniors going to a social facility every day. Here, basic care is provided, but there is also an emphasis on other activities that provide the senior with not only entertainment but also help with physical and mental health. Unlike day centres, weekly residential homes also provide accommodation, usually during the working week from Monday morning to Friday afternoon. The content is the same or very similar to that of day centres.
Do you need help?
Do you need help with a claim for Attendance Allowance or any other legal help or advice? Contact an Accessible Advocate. We will assess your case and draft legal services to resolve it within 24 hours. If you then decide to put it in our hands, you get the drafting free of charge.
Care for the elderly in residential social facilities and their types
If a senior does not have a close person who can take care of him or her, or if his or her condition is so bad that it is not possible to provide care in a home environment, there is the option of residential social care facilities. The main types include:
Nursing homes
These are special residential homes owned by municipalities where seniors rent their own barrier-free apartment equipped with their own bathroom and kitchen. At the same time, a nursing service is available to them during dedicated hours. The house usually includes a lounge. This style of accommodation is therefore suitable for elderly people who can at least partially look after themselves.
A house for the elderly
A home for the elderly is also designed for elderly people in poorer health. The nursing service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Seniors are usually accommodated in single rooms (but sometimes in multi-bed rooms) and are provided with all-day meals. In addition to care, most homes for the elderly also provide a range of leisure and social activities.
Tip: Are you or your relatives not getting the care you were promised in a retirement home? Or do you suspect that rules are being violated? Contact an Affordable Care Advocate. We will review your case and draft legal services to resolve it within 24 hours. Then, if you decide to put it in our hands, you get the drafting free of charge.
House with special regime
Special care homes are for seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s, senile or other dementia. These homes are adapted to meet their special needs. Therefore, specially trained staff work there and seniors have access to specially designed activities and therapies.
