Request
If relatives of dementia patients notice that independent care within their own four walls can no longer be guaranteed in the long term, the person affected must be given nursing support. If there is a desire to remain in the own residence or if the money for a nursing home cannot be raised, then nursing assistance should be applied for. This can easily be done in writing without complicated forms.
The nursing care insurance company, which deals with the respective problem, can be contacted via the health insurance. The application is followed by a free examination of the need for care that exists with the patient. This is carried out by the MDK, the medical service of the health insurance, which cooperates with the health and nursing care insurance companies.
Before a professional staff member visits the patient, it is advisable to create a nursing diary with the daily tasks and collect helpful notes. The report on the visit is then forwarded by the MDK to the health insurance company, which decides on the allocation of degrees of care. Often the reports of dementia patients are not very satisfying for the relatives.
Even if there are restrictions in the everyday life of the patient and his or her fellow men, basic skills such as eating, dressing and hygiene can usually be performed long after the dementia has become clinically manifest. Also, the patient’s condition may vary from day to day and may give a distorted positive picture of the overall situation during the visit. If the relatives do not agree with the decision, legal objections can be filed and a new examination can be demanded.
Level of care 1
Care level 1 is assigned to people in need of care who have not previously had a care level. This new level of care is particularly advantageous for patients with dementia. Experts from the MDK review the application for a degree of care and award this degree of care to patients with a score of 12.5 to <27 in the new assessment.
This score is calculated on the basis of various modules, such as The care level 1 corresponds to a physical or mental impairment of independence, which is still quite low.Humans with care degree 1 receive neither care money for the care at home or care achievements in kind nor ambulatory cash benefits. They receive however an “earmarked ambulatory discharge amount” of 125€ in the month. This amount is intended above all for the financing of care, supervision and instruction of the care-needy persons to day-structuring measures.
- Mobility
- Cognitive and communication skills
- Behaviour and psychological difficulties
- Self-catering
- Coping with disease- or therapy-related stress
- Shaping everyday life and social life.
