Residential care housing

As a service referred to by the same name may have significantly different content and pricing in different care homes, prospective tenants and their families should find out what exactly a given service includes.

Some care homes price services separately, while others may include corresponding services in rental fees or basic fees. The rent may include, among other things, electricity, water, heating, hygiene care and cleaning. In addition, it may also include use of a safety phone, night-time surveillance and furniture.

The costs of living in a care home include rent or maintenance charges and other costs of living, the basic fee (i.e. the housing service fee), meal service fees and the service fee, which is a customer-specific service package.

Rent

The tenant of a rental apartment concludes a normal lease agreement with the lessor. In a care home, the rent may include, among other things, electricity, water, sauna and other hygiene services, cleaning or use of a laundry room. In addition, it may also include use of a safety phone, night-time surveillance, furniture or external storage space for personal items.

The rent often includes a proportional share of common areas or other property costs. Alternatively, fees for these services may be charged separately or included in the basic fee.

Basic fee

The basic fee, or the customer service fee, may include various services and, as such, its amount varies greatly. It may refer to service package that covers, among other things, the right to use common areas or a fitness room, the availability of nursing staff and recreational activities, laundry, secure alarm functionality, short-term services provided by health nurses, cleaning services as well as stimulating and rehabilitating activities.

The basic fee may also include, among other things, a safety phone and other security systems, health nurse services, assistance with running errands, sauna, bathing assistance, cleaning, laundry, meals, round-the-clock stand-by services, the opportunity to participate in house activities, common areas and their associated television charges, household items or an internal telephone network within the building.

Meal fees

The number of meals varies between care homes, with both full board and half board options available. The resident may also opt to not purchase meals at all, or buy them on a one-off basis.

Service fee, i.e. service package

The service fee i.e. the service package consists of care and nursing charges and support service charges. The contents and total price of the service package are determined by the resident's individual care and service plan.

Care and nursing charges

Care and nursing charges are priced by month or hour, and the rates may vary according to the time of day and weekday. As living in residential care housing is considered outpatient care, residents in care homes are provided home care services under the same criteria as any senior citizen residing at home.

• A municipality may outsource home health care and home services to service providers and invoice a customer it has placed in a care home.
• A municipality may also produce care and nursing services for residential care housing itself, in which case the relevant fees are paid to the municipality.
• Customers who pay for their own fees pay directly to the care home.

Fees for support services

• Safety systems: A safety phone or bracelet is often included in the basic fee or rent. Municipal home care may also cover emergency calls, which are then charged for according to the home care price list valid at the time.
• Cleaning: If cleaning is not included in a service package, it is generally charged on an hourly basis. The resident may also purchase cleaning services themselves.
• Sauna and other hygiene services: A weekly sauna may be included in the rent or service fee. It may be charged as a monthly fee, a one-off fee or an hourly fee. Other hygiene services are also priced as one-off fees or hourly fees, or they may be included in a service package. Residents are generally responsible for purchasing daily items such as washing agents, lotions and toilet paper.
• Medical care and health services: In most cases, residents pay for their medication themselves. Medical care or part thereof may be included in the service fee.
• Laundry: Laundry may be included in the service package. Laundry may be priced on a one-off basis, by kilogram or as a monthly fee. Using the laundry room oneself is free of charge in some care homes, while others charge for it as a one-off fee or a monthly charge.
• Other services: Other individual services subject to separate payment include e.g. personal assistance, ordering a taxi, measuring blood pressure, treating cuts and wounds, drawing blood samples, providing assistance with errands, having a staff member accompany the resident to errands, serving breakfast in the home and taking the resident for walks outside.