You can claim support for informal care if a relative or a close person is caring for you due to illness or disability, or if you are beginning to require assistance for age-related reasons.

What is support for informal care?

A family member or other close person can care for a person who is elderly, has a disability or is ill, in the person's own home.

If the care work is demanding and binding, the person requiring the care can claim support for informal care (omaishoidon tuki). It can be claimed for both short and long-term care needs. Agreements regarding informal care are always signed with the home wellbeing services county of the person requiring care.

For the person requiring care, informal care support includes:

• informal care
• social and healthcare services as set out in the care and service plan, and
• services during the carer's free time

Support for the carer includes:

• care pay
• leave
• pension and accident insurance, and
• social services
• health and well-being inspections
• coaching
• education

When can I claim support for informal care?

The home wellbeing services county of the person requiring care grants support for informal care.

The right to support for informal care is not a subjective or absolute right; rather the wellbeing services county will decide whether or not to grant it. The grounds for granting the support vary between wellbeing services counties.

Support for informal care is usually granted if:

• a person needs care or assistance in their home due to reduced functional capacity, illness, disability or another reason;
• a family member or another person close to the person in need of care is prepared to take responsibility for their care and assistance;
• the carer’s health meets the requirements for providing informal care;
• the informal care is, jointly with other necessary social and healthcare services, sufficient regarding the well-being, health and safety of the person requiring care, and
• the home of the person requiring care is suitable for care.

The wellbeing services county may charge the person requiring care a fee for arrangements made to cover the carer's statutory leave, or other services included in the support for informal care agreement.

How do I claim support for informal care?

The amount the carer is paid depends on the binding nature of the care and on the wellbeing services county in which the care is being given. However, there is a fixed minimum amount, details of which can be found on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health http://www.stm.fi/en/.

Care pay is taxable income. For the transitional stage, in which giving care is particularly difficult, the care pay will be increased.

Support for informal care should be claimed from the home wellbeing services county of the person requiring care.

Know your rights

The Commission's publication and website:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=849&langId=fi

Who should I contact?

You can find more information about support for informal care, how to apply, and other arrangements through the social and healthcare services of the home wellbeing services county of the person requiring care.