Arranging care for a relative
Are you looking for support for your mother, your father or another person close to you? With Pflege Patienten you can prepare and post a care request if you are entitled to do so.
Care cannot be guaranteed.
Work out together what support is missing
You do not need to know every technical term at the start. A shared description of everyday life helps: What still works well? Where is support needed? From when does the situation become difficult?
A care request contains health details. You only post it for another person if you may represent them – for example with a lasting power of attorney, as a legal guardian or because the person has expressly asked you to.
Involve the person in wishes and decisions as far as possible. Whether a power of attorney is sufficient in an individual case cannot be judged by this website; guardianship associations, the guardianship authority or legal advice can help.
Your preparation list
You can print the list and use it for the conversation. It is not sent to care providers and is not yet a care request.
The ticks only apply in this browser window. Nothing is saved or sent.
Three situations, three next steps
Support at home is missing: Find out about a home care service and the tasks it can take on. For part of the day or the night there is day and night care.
Much is open after hospital: Discuss the transition early with those involved, such as the hospital's social services. Depending on the situation, time-limited short-term care may be an option, with ventilation out-of-hospital intensive care.
The type of care is still unclear: Look at the differences without having to decide yet – including a care home place and assisted living.
Arranging care for relatives: how to proceed
Choose type of care and place
The care request assistant shows you whether participating providers can be reached at your place.
Create your own account
Free of charge, with your email address. You describe the help needed in your own words – you do not upload doctors' letters.
Choose together
Discuss the responses with your relative and choose the provider together.
What does it cost?
The request on the platform costs you nothing. You discuss the cost of the later care and possible benefits from a funding body separately.
A response is not guaranteed. If nobody responds, also use direct contacts and local care advice. A directory entry does not yet mean free capacity.
Pflege Patienten is not an emergency service – in an emergency, call 112.
Questions from relatives
May I post a request for my mother or father?
Yes, if you are allowed to represent them – for example with a lasting power of attorney (Vorsorgevollmacht), as their legal guardian (rechtliche Betreuung) or because they have expressly asked you to. Being related does not in itself entitle you to pass on another person's health details. If the person can still take part in the decision, involve them. This website cannot judge whether a power of attorney is sufficient in an individual case.
Do I have to create an account to post a request?
Yes. First you only choose the type of care and the place in the care request assistant and see whether participating providers can be reached there. For the actual request you then create a free personal account and confirm your email address. You do not enter any details of the care need on this website.
Who sees my request?
Registered home care services and care providers whose service area covers the place you entered and whose offer fits the request. They see the details needed for matching – such as the type of care, place and approximate distance, start, services required and care level – but no name, no address and no date of birth. A care provider only sees your telephone number and email address once you have selected it.
How do I find out about responses?
If a care provider expresses interest, asks a question or declines, you see this on your request in the portal; if you wish, an email points it out. Messages themselves are never included in emails. A response is not yet a commitment: a takeover is only agreed once you have selected a care provider and both sides have confirmed.
Are my details pseudonymised?
Yes. Care providers do not need a name for matching: the request is posted in pseudonymised form – without the name, address or date of birth of the person who needs care. The details of the care need are still health data and are therefore kept only in the protected portal. Please do not write names or addresses in free-text fields either.
Post a request for your relative
Choose the type of care and the place, then create your free account. You enter the details of the care need in the protected portal.