In Berlin you wait up to 1.5 years for a place in your dream retirement home (symbolic image) Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk
By Isabel Pancake
Every month, Berliners deduct 3.4 percent (four percent for those without children) of their gross income into the nursing care fund. But is that enough for good care in old age?
Anyone who wants to be cared for at home will receive 125 euros in relief money per month from the nursing care fund – regardless of the level of care. This can be used to order a nursing service, to pay for a carer to go for walks and read aloud, or to pay for day care.
A place in a retirement home costs around 2,000 to 2,500 euros per month. The nursing care insurance covers the costs of care and support. Because nursing care insurance is only a type of partial comprehensive insurance, not everything is paid for.
The rest must be paid by the person in need of care themselves, their relatives or the social welfare office. The gap can theoretically be closed with additional nursing care insurance.
You have to cover the entire cost of accommodation and meals yourself. But the social welfare office can also step in here in an emergency. However, if you want to live like a prince, for example in a comfortable room, you pay for it yourself.
In principle, however, the following applies: “It makes sense to think about care on relatively healthy days,” says Andrea Didszun (42), consultant and head of the care base in Pankow. You should look for a home early because the waiting lists are long.
According to Didszun, people in Berlin wait up to 1.5 years for their dream retirement home.