Nursing homes - respite care

People who have caregiving duties at home can apply for respite care at a nursing home. The individual in need of assistance—who can also apply—will be granted a temporary stay at an institution.

Caregivers who have particularly burdensome care duties.

The person to be relieved must have particularly burdensome care duties at home. Elements that may be taken into consideration include whether the applicant works many hours each month providing care, whether the work is more burdensome than what is normal and whether it entails interruptions to the caregiver’s sleep or social isolation.

The municipality cannot charge a fee for respite care services.

Hjelpetilbud i kommunen
Patient and interpreter. A brochure about interpretation in the health services

The municipality is obligated to provide this service; see Section 3-2 of the Health Care Act.

Forvaltningsloven
Helse- og omsorgstjenesteloven
Kvalitetsforskrift for pleie- og omsorgstjenestene
Verdighetsgarantiforskriften

There is no requirement for the application to be submitted in writing. You can apply over the phone. 

The municipality will obtain the information necessary for making a decision on the case. We will normally make a home visit. We will then come to a decision. You will normally receive an explanation together with the notification of the decision. You will always receive an explanation if there is a possibility that you will be dissatisfied with the decision. If an explanation is not included, you can obtain one by enquiring with the municipality within the deadline for appeals to the decision.

The municipality will process the case as soon as possible. If a decision cannot be reached on the case within one month, you will receive a written message stating the reason as to why. You will also be informed of when the decision is expected to be made.

The care provider and the individual in need of assistance can both appeal the decision. You may appeal to the municipality within a deadline of three weeks from the date on which you received the decision. Explain what you are dissatisfied with and why you believe the decision should be changed. If you need guidance, you can enquire with the municipality. If the municipality upholds its decision, the case will be passed on to the county governor, who will determine whether the appeal should be sustained.