Care in Germany comes with a lot of technical terms. Here we explain 30 important ones in simple words. Look for the term in the list – or type it into the search box at the top of the page.

Details

Letters from Pflegekassen (long-term care insurance funds), public authorities and care services are full of terms that nobody uses in everyday life. If you know them, you can check decisions, ask precise questions and claim benefits that would otherwise go unused. The following explanations are deliberately short; the sums of money quoted are as at July 2026.

A – B

• Ambulanter Pflegedienst (home care service) – A company whose care staff come to your home. The service bills the Pflegekasse directly as a Pflegesachleistung (care benefits in kind); medical services such as dressings or injections are paid for by the Krankenkasse (health insurance fund).
• Angebote zur Unterstützung im Alltag (§ 45a SGB XI) (everyday support services) – Services recognised by the federal state, such as support groups, everyday companionship, home help or neighbourhood help. Only such recognised services may be paid for out of the Entlastungsbetrag (monthly relief amount). Berlin most recently had 220 recognised services with 30.217 users (Landespflegeplan Berlin 2025, pp. 71–72).
• Begutachtung (NBA) (care needs assessment) – The home visit by the Medizinischer Dienst (the medical service that assesses care needs), at which 0 to 100 points are awarded across six modules. The Pflegegrad (care grade) is derived from this. What is assessed is how independent you are, not your diagnosis.
• Beratungseinsatz (§ 37 Abs. 3 SGB XI) (compulsory advisory home visit) – A compulsory advice session at home for everyone who receives Pflegegeld (cash care allowance): every six months with Pflegegrad 2 and 3, every three months with Pflegegrad 4 and 5. It is free of charge; if the appointment is missed, the fund can reduce the Pflegegeld.
• Betreutes Wohnen (assisted living) – Your own flat with a basic service package such as an emergency call system and a contact person. Care is bought in on top. Check carefully which services are included in the flat-rate price – “betreut” (“assisted”) is not a protected term.

D – H

• Demenz (dementia) – An umbrella term for illnesses in which memory, orientation and judgement decline permanently; the most common form is Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia often leads to a Pflegegrad, even when someone can still manage a great deal physically on their own.
• Eigenanteil und Leistungszuschlag (personal contribution and benefit supplement) – In a care home the Pflegekasse pays a fixed amount and residents pay the rest themselves (the uniform care-related personal contribution plus accommodation, meals and investment costs). The Leistungszuschlag under § 43c SGB XI reduces the care-related Eigenanteil the longer someone lives there: 15 per cent in the first year, 30 per cent from month 13, 50 per cent from month 25 and 75 per cent from month 37.
• Entlastungsbetrag (monthly relief amount) – 131 Euro per month for all Pflegegrade 1 to 5, earmarked for recognised everyday support services. Amounts not used can be saved up and used until 30 June of the following year. They are not paid out in cash but reimbursed against invoices.
• Gemeinsamer Jahresbetrag (Entlastungsbudget) (joint annual budget) – Since 1 July 2025, a single pot of 3.539 Euro per calendar year for Verhinderungspflege (respite care) and Kurzzeitpflege (short-term residential care) from Pflegegrad 2 upwards, which you can split freely between the two.
• Grundpflege und Behandlungspflege (basic care and medical care) – Grundpflege is help with personal hygiene, eating and moving about (long-term care insurance, SGB XI). Behandlungspflege covers services prescribed by a doctor, such as giving medication, injections or wound care (health insurance, SGB V) – these are paid for regardless of the Pflegegrad.
• Hilfe zur Pflege (means-tested help with care costs) – A benefit from the Sozialamt (social welfare office) under SGB XII when income and assets are not enough to cover the cost of care. It matters because long-term care insurance only ever covers part of the costs, never all of them.
• Hospiz- und Palliativversorgung (hospice and palliative care) – Support for people who are seriously ill or dying, aimed at relieving symptoms and maintaining quality of life. It is possible at home (specialised outpatient palliative care, outpatient hospice services), in an inpatient hospice or on a palliative care ward. Outpatient hospice support is free of charge for those affected.

K – N

• Kombinationsleistung (combination benefit) – The mix of Pflegegeld and Pflegesachleistung. If, for example, half of the benefits-in-kind budget is used through a care service, the other half of the Pflegegeld is paid out in cash.
• Kurzzeitpflege (short-term residential care) – Temporary full inpatient care, for example after a hospital stay or when care at home is not possible for a short period. It is financed out of the gemeinsamer Jahresbetrag. In Berlin provision is tight: only 17 facilities with 274 places (Landespflegeplan 2025, p. 81) – ask early.
• Medizinischer Dienst (MD) (the medical service that assesses care needs) – The independent service that carries out assessments on behalf of the Pflegekasse. For people with private insurance, Medicproof does this. The MD does not decide on the Pflegegrad itself but recommends it; the decision has to be made by the Pflegekasse.
• Nachbarschaftshilfe (neighbourhood help) – In Berlin, private individuals can be recognised as Nachbarschaftshelfende (registered neighbourhood helpers) after a short training course (§ 5a PuVO) and can then do the shopping, accompany people or provide company. This is paid for out of the Entlastungsbetrag. Between 2021 and 2023 only 2.390 people were trained (Landespflegeplan 2025, p. 72) – there is a shortage of helpers here.

P

• Patientenverfügung (advance directive) – A written statement of which medical treatments you want or refuse should you no longer be able to express yourself. It only takes effect if it is worded specifically – and only if it can be found when it matters.
• Pflegeberatung (§ 7a SGB XI) (care counselling) – Your legal entitlement to a personal adviser at the Pflegekasse, who draws up a care plan and supports you in putting it into practice. Free of charge, and at home if you wish.
• Pflegegeld (cash care allowance) – A cash benefit from Pflegegrad 2 upwards when care is organised privately, for example by relatives: 347 Euro (PG 2), 599 Euro (PG 3), 800 Euro (PG 4) and 990 Euro (PG 5) per month. It is paid to the person in need of care, who is free to decide how to use it.
• Pflegegrad (care grade) – The classification from 1 to 5 that determines the scope of benefits. It is based on the points from the Begutachtung: from 12,5 (PG 1), 27 (PG 2), 47,5 (PG 3), 70 (PG 4) and 90 points (PG 5).
• Pflegehilfsmittel (care aids) – Consumable products such as disposable gloves, disinfectant or bed protection pads: up to 42 Euro per month from Pflegegrad 1. Technical aids such as a care bed or a wheelchair have to be applied for separately and are often provided on loan.
• Pflegesachleistung (care benefits in kind) – The monthly budget for an approved home care service: 796 Euro (PG 2), 1.497 Euro (PG 3), 1.859 Euro (PG 4) and 2.299 Euro (PG 5). The service bills the Pflegekasse directly.
• Pflegestützpunkt (care support point) – A free, neutral advice centre under § 7c SGB XI, run jointly by the insurance funds and the federal state or the district. Berlin has 36 Pflegestützpunkte, Brandenburg at least one in every rural district and independent city. Advice is available without a Pflegegrad and without an appointment.
• Pflegezeit und Familienpflegezeit (care leave and family care leave) – Legal entitlements to time off work: up to six months completely or partly (Pflegezeit), or up to 24 months while working at least 15 hours a week (Familienpflegezeit), backed by an interest-free loan. In addition there is short-term time off work of up to ten working days with Pflegeunterstützungsgeld (care support allowance).
• Pflege-Wohngemeinschaft (Pflege-WG) (shared care flat) – A small shared household in which several people in need of care live together and share support. A distinction is made between selbstverantwortete WGs (where the residents decide) and anbieterverantwortete WGs (run by a provider). Berlin has the highest density in Germany: 773 WGs with around 6.081 places (Landespflegeplan 2025, pp. 82–83). There is also a Wohngruppenzuschlag (shared-housing supplement).

T – W

• Tages- und Nachtpflege (day care and night care) – Part-time inpatient care for individual hours during the day or at night, including transport. It comes on top of Pflegegeld and Pflegesachleistung. Night care is extremely rare in Berlin: just one facility with eight places in the whole city (Landespflegeplan 2025, p. 79).
• Verhinderungspflege (respite care) – Replacement care when the private carer is ill, is on holiday or needs a break: up to eight weeks per calendar year from Pflegegrad 2, financed out of the gemeinsamer Jahresbetrag of 3.539 Euro. The six-month period of prior care that used to be required was abolished on 1 July 2025.
• Vorsorgevollmacht und Betreuungsverfügung (lasting power of attorney and statement naming a preferred legal guardian) – With a Vorsorgevollmacht you decide yourself who may make decisions for you when you no longer can. Without one, the Betreuungsgericht (court responsible for legal guardianship) can appoint a legal guardian – spouses and children are not automatically entitled to decide either. The Betreuungsverfügung proposes a preferred person to the court.
• Widerspruch (formal appeal) – Your legal remedy against a decision by the Pflegekasse, for example against a Pflegegrad that is too low. Deadline: one month from receipt. The Widerspruch can first be lodged informally and the reasons submitted later – and it is free of charge.
• Wohnumfeldverbessernde Maßnahme (home adaptation measure) – A grant from the Pflegekasse of up to 4.180 Euro per measure for conversions such as a level-access shower, a ramp, grab rails or wider doorways. Important: apply first, then convert.

What to do

1. Mark the words you do not know. Go through your decision letters and other post with a highlighter and look the terms up here.
2. Draw up a list of questions. For every unclear term, note down what exactly you want to know – that saves a lot of time in an advice session.
3. Ask for a simple explanation. You can say at any time: “Please explain that to me again in simple words.” Advice centres are used to this.
4. Use the right terms in your application. If you write “Verhinderungspflege” instead of “holiday cover”, you will get the right answer more quickly.
5. Is a term missing? Write to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – we add to the glossary continuously.

Where can you get help?

• Pflegestützpunkte and advice centres translate officialese into plain language free of charge, with language support on request: Directory (filter “Beratungsstelle / Pflegestützpunkt” = advice centre / care support point; you can also filter by language).
• Pflegekurse (care courses) under § 45 SGB XI and information evenings, at which benefits and applications are explained: Events.
• Further reading: Understanding care grades 1 to 5, The MD home visit and Benefits at a glance.

All sums of money: as at July 2026 (SGB XI). Regional figures: Landespflegeplan Berlin 2025.