Your doctor can prescribe home health care if you need support, for example, after an operation or serious illness.

If you have statutory health insurance, home health care must be approved in advance by your health insurer. You can then - with the help of your health insurance company if you wish - select a suitable care service that is a contractual partner of your health insurance company.

The care can take place in your home, with your family or in another suitable place. These are, for example, assisted living facilities as well as school and kindergarten for children and adolescents.

Home health care may include:

• Basic care: this includes, for example, personal hygiene, nutrition and mobility.
• Treatment care: Treatment care helps to cure the illness or prevent it from getting worse. This includes, for example, giving injections or wound care.
• Domestic care: This is help in the household, for example, shopping, washing or cleaning the apartment.

Support care

The so-called support care is necessary

• if you have a serious illness
• an illness worsens acutely
• and you need support, especially after a hospital stay, outpatient surgery or outpatient hospital treatment.

Supportive care usually includes basic care and household chores. The statutory health insurance funds cover supportive care for each case of illness for up to 4 weeks. An extension for medical reasons is possible.
Backup care

If home nursing care ensures the success of medical treatment, your statutory health insurance pays for so-called backup care. This covers treatment care for as long as it is medically necessary.

Some health insurers have stipulated in their statutes that basic care and domestic services can also be paid for in addition to treatment care.

Hospital avoidance care

You receive the so-called hospital avoidance care,

• if treatment in hospital is not possible,
• you can return home sooner after hospital treatment thanks to home nursing care,
• or hospital treatment can be avoided altogether through home health care.

Hospital avoidance care includes treatment care and - if necessary - also basic care as well as domestic care. Hospital avoidance care is covered by the statutory health insurance funds for up to 4 weeks per case of illness. An extension for medical reasons is possible.