This section contains information on long-term care in Iceland.

In what situation can I claim?

If nursing, social home services, day care or other forms of long-time care are required due to e.g. long-term illnesses, you may be entitled to support

• An evaluation or certificate confirming the need for long-term care must be obtained in order to be entitled to care support;
• You must have been domiciled in Iceland for at least six months to be entitled to support;
• You must have health insurance in Iceland to be entitled to placement in a nursing home or receive home nursing.

What conditions do I need to meet?

• A special assessment by experts must be carried out in order to be entitled to long-term care;
• For instance, it is not possible to apply for admittance to a nursing home or home for the elderly unless the need for such admission has been evaluated and confirmed;
• Only professional care-givers/experts manage home nursing, social home services, day care, nursing homes or homes for the elderly;
• Applications for home nursing are generally submitted to the healthcare centre nearest to the home of the applicant.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Long-term care may be provided either by the Icelandic national social security system or by the local communities' social services.

Examples of long-term care:

• Social home service, day care and home nursing
• Homes for the elderly
• Nursing homes for the elderly

Home nursing involves organised visits to individuals cared for by nurses or nursing assistants. Decisions on home nursing are based on professional evaluations. No fee is paid for home nursing, but you may have to pay for various medical aids and equipment that may be needed according to the rules of Icelandic Health Insurance. https://island.is/s/sjukratryggingar

Social home services are intended for people living at home and who cannot, owing to impaired ability, family circumstances, stress, illness, childbirth or disability, take care of normal household tasks or other tasks without assistance. The service may be provided temporarily or in the long term, depending on circumstances. An individual-based assessment by an expert detailing the need for services must be obtained in order to be entitled to social home services.

Day care involves temporary stays in social centres to engage in hobbies, use facilities for light physical exercise, have meals, use rest facilities or get assistance with bathing and personal hygiene. Travel to and from the home, but payment for the services used in the day cares varies. Most larger municipalities offer day care for people living at home. Day care centres provide services for up to 8 or 10 hours daily, 5 days per week.

A fee must be paid for day care, social home services, nursing homes and homes for the elderly.

Various other support may be available, such as technical assistance, travel services or communications equipment support.

Support in long-term care will be provided for as long as considered necessary.

Care-givers may either be informal, i.e. family members (spouse benefits, care benefits), or professional care-givers, e.g. experts

Jargon busters

• Relative: Family members are relatives, e.g. parent, child or sibling;
• Care: If people need care, there will be someone to take care of them and assist in various ways, e.g. to bathe and get dressed;
• Take care of: Is another phrase for care. The person undertaking to provide care looks after the ill person;
• Nursing: Strengthen and maintain the mental and physical health of the individual and minimise isolation and symptoms of disease as far as possible;
• Home nursing: Means that a nurse or nurse's assistant comes to the home of the patient to nurse him/her, e.g. administer medicines or change bandages;
• Fee: Is generally a fixed amount that has to be paid for e.g. a particular service. The fee is usually predetermined and is not the same as the cost of the service, e.g. admission fees or kindergarten fees.

Forms you may need to fill in

• Applications for social home services, home nursing and day care must be submitted to the municipality in which you live or to a healthcare centre;
• Various forms on the website of Icelandic Health Insurance (Sjúkratrygginga Íslands); https://www.sjukra.is/
• Various forms on the website of the Directorate of Health.

Know your rights

The following websites provide information on your rights. They are not, however, operated by the EU Commission and do not reflect the Commission's views:

• Sjúkratryggingar
• Competency and health assessment from the Directorate of Health
• Local Authorities' Social Services Act
• Act on Social Assistance
• Act on the affairs of the elderly
• Information on services to the elderly on the website of the Ministry of Health https://www.government.is/
• Spouse and care benefits from the Social Insurance Agency (Tryggingastofnun) https://www.tr.is/
• Care benefits for children from the Social Insurance Agency (Tryggingastofnun) https://www.tr.is/
• Icelandic Accident Insurance for accidents. https://www.sjukra.is/

Publications and websites operated by the EU Commission:

• Social Insurance: Rights of EU citizens overseas

Who do you need to contact?

Social Insurance Administration (Tryggingastofnun)
Hlíðasmári 11 (see map)
201 Kópavogur Iceland
Tel: + 354-560 4400
E-mail: tr@tr.is
www.tr.is

Icelandic Health Insurance
Vínlandsleið 16 (see map)
113 Reykjavik
Tel: 515 0002
E-mail: international@sjukra.is
www.sjukra.is