Care levels for dementia in Austria: The hardship allowance guide 2026
Dementia changes life – not only for those affected, but also for their families. As Anna’s grandfather Alois becomes increasingly forgetful, she faces an important question: Which care level will he receive? In this guide, you’ll learn how the Austrian care system supports people with dementia, which care level applies when, and how to apply correctly for financial assistance.
In Austria, around 115,000 to 130,000 people suffer from a dementia-related illness, and the number continues to rise. This growing challenge requires clear guidance, especially when it comes to the assignment of care levels for people with dementia in Austria. By 2050, the number of dementia cases is expected to more than double (Austrian Dementia Report).
Alois is also one of these people. He is 81 years old, physically fit, but increasingly has problems with his memory. His granddaughter Anna supports him, but cannot take over the entire care.
When she inquires about a caregiver for her grandpa, she quickly realizes: He needs a care level. But which one?
In Austria, there is a clearly defined system of seven care levels that supports people with dementia. This guide explains everything you need to know about the care levels, the requirements for entitlement to the care allowance, and additional financial assistance.
In Austria, there is a system of seven care levels. The classification is based on the amount of time needed for care per month. While level 1 covers a low need, level 7 stands for the most severe care cases.
For people like Alois, however, another factor is decisive: How the dementia diagnosis massively influences the classification.
Application and classification: How people with dementia get a care level
There are certain requirements and criteria for classifying people with dementia that take into account not only the physical need for care, but also the need for support and supervision. People with dementia like Alois are therefore often classified at a higher level to do justice to their increased need for support.
The classification is carried out by a medical expert report in which the health condition and the need for care of the person concerned are assessed in detail. In addition, a home visit usually takes place to assess the living situation and the actual care effort on site.
This thorough assessment is intended to ensure that the care level corresponds to the real needs of the person in need of care.
This process, as with Alois and Anna, takes place in several steps:
1. Submitting the application
Anna submitted a care allowance application for Alois to the responsible office. This can be done in writing, by phone, or online.
2. Submitting the required documents
Together with the application, Anna submitted relevant medical documents such as doctors’ reports and discharge letters to prove the need for care.
3. Scheduling the appointment for the home visit
After the application was submitted, an appointment could be arranged for a home visit by a medical expert or a nursing professional.
4. Conducting the home visit
During the home visit, Alois’ physical and mental abilities were checked and the need for care was determined, especially with dementia.
5. Preparing the report
After the home visit, a report was prepared that records the need for care and the recommended care level, which was forwarded to the responsible office.
6. Decision and notification
Based on the report, Anna and Alois received a decision about the care level and the amount of the care allowance.
With Anna and Alois, everything went well and the two agreed with the care level. Especially when it concerns a person with dementia, however, this can be problematic under certain circumstances. Often, those affected are not aware of their difficulties or do not want to admit them.
If the expert or caregiver speaks only with the person with dementia, the actual situation is not recognized. That is why it is important that relatives are also interviewed.
Unfortunately, this is not a given and some experts or caregivers grant no care level or one that is too low. If that should be the case for you, you can file an objection within a certain deadline. The need for care will then be reviewed again.
In Austria, the classification of care levels for people with dementia is based on the specific need for support and care, which is determined by the different stages of the illness. Dementia is divided into three stages:
Mild dementia:
- Memory problems and orientation difficulties
- Minor support in everyday life
-
Classification in care level 1 or 2
Moderate dementia:
- Increasing difficulties with everyday activities
- Need for more comprehensive help with personal hygiene, nutrition, and mobility
-
Classification in the medium care levels (3 to 5)
Severe dementia:
- Continuous supervision and intensive care required
- Ensuring the safety and well-being of those affected
- Classification in the higher care levels (6 or 7)
This classification takes into account both the physical need for care and the increased need for support and supervision, which is particularly significant for people with dementia. This is intended to ensure that those affected receive appropriate support.
Alois received care level 2 at the first visit because he was increasingly having memory problems, but was physically fit. At that time, Anna registered with noracares and came across Lucille there. She visited Alois several times a week and supported him with everyday things like grocery shopping.
When, after a few years, he had more and more problems with everyday tasks, his care level was increased. This increase in the care allowance made it possible for Anna to hire Lucille as a full-time caregiver.
The benefits of the care levels in Austria are designed to cover individual care and support needs. The amount of the care allowance varies depending on the care level and is used to finance the additional expenses caused by the need for care:
Care levels 1 and 2:
- Benefits: Low care allowance to support light everyday tasks and to cover smaller care costs
- Special features: Additional counseling and support services to relieve caregiving relatives
- Hardship allowances: As a rule, no special allowances yet
Care levels 3 to 5:
- Benefits: Increased care allowance, enabling more intensive care and support
- Special features: Additional services such as day and night care to relieve family caregivers and provide better care for people with dementia
- Hardship allowances: Possible allowances in cases of greatly increased care needs and particular hardships caused by the dementia illness
Care level 6 and 7:
- Benefits: Very high care allowance to cover the extensive care costs incurred with severe dementia and round-the-clock care
- Special features: Entitlement to comprehensive care and support services, including specialized care facilities for people with dementia
- Hardship allowances: Higher allowances due to the extremely high care and support needs arising from advanced dementia
Thanks to the care levels for dementia in Austria, Anna was able to organize a caregiver who checks in on him regularly. In addition, she ordered “meals on wheels” so that he receives at least one full meal a day.
This reassured her for the time being and she no longer had to worry about her grandpa. As his care needs increased over time, Anna also increased the care hours.
In Austria, the care allowance is valuable financial support for people like Alois. It is paid out monthly and is intended to ensure that people in need of care – regardless of income or assets – receive the support they need. The amount is based on the actual care effort in hours, divided into seven clearly defined care levels.:
Care allowance table 2026
Source: pv.at
Requirements: When do you receive care allowance?
For care allowance to be granted, certain requirements must be met:
- A long-term need for care must exist – due to a physical, mental, or psychological impairment, such as dementia. The condition must be expected to last longer than six months.
- The person concerned must usually live in Austria; in certain cases, entitlement within the EEA is also possible.
- The care needs must be more than 65 hours per month – i.e., clearly beyond purely occasional support.
Dementia and care allowance – what is special?
Especially with a dementia illness like Alois’s, an important regulation comes into play: From care level 1, a hardship allowance is automatically credited – namely 45 additional hours of care needs per month. This means that the special caregiving effort required for dementia is officially recognized and taken into account in the classification.
The dementia lever: 45 hours for free?
This is the key point for Anna and Alois: The law recognizes that caring for people with dementia is psychologically and organizationally significantly more burdensome than purely physical assistance.
The hardship allowance of 45 hours: As soon as a dementia diagnosis exists, when calculating the care level (from level 1), a flat 45 hours per month are additionally credited.
- The effect: Someone who physically would actually only need 50 hours of help (and would therefore be below the threshold for level 1) immediately jumps to 95 hours due to the dementia diagnosis and thus lands directly in care level 2.
- Why that matters: That means more financial leeway for professional help, even if the person concerned is still physically mobile.
This way, Anna can ensure that her grandpa not only receives emotional support – but also the financial help that does justice to his situation. And if at some point it becomes too much, she also has the option to apply for care leave – time off work to be fully there for Alois.
Tips for relatives
Relatives who care for people with dementia face particular challenges in everyday life. Anna also didn’t know at the beginning how she could support Alois. In the meantime, however, she has dealt with the topic and would like to give you some tips on how she was able to make her grandpa’s everyday life easier:
- Structured daily routine: A structured daily routine helps most people affected. You can start by ordering meals on wheels so that the person with dementia always gets a full meal at the same time. Home helpers or other caregivers who stop by the person concerned regularly are also a help. Writing down a daily plan can also help. But make sure that the plan cannot be misplaced somewhere and forgotten.
- Clear and simple communication: For people with dementia, clear and simple communication is very important. Try to explain things as understandably as possible and avoid confusing stories. Many people affected suffer from memory loss and become sad or aggressive when they are made aware of a “mistake.” In some cases, it is therefore easier, for example, to confirm a false memory (as long as it has no consequences to leave the person concerned under that misconception).
- Patience and understanding: Show understanding for the difficulties of the person with dementia and be patient with them. Even if it can be very nerve-wracking, don’t hold it against the person concerned if they forget a lot, because they are not doing it on purpose.
- Actively involve them: Actively involve the person with dementia in everyday activities to maintain their independence for as long as possible. The less people affected do, the more isolated they become and the faster the illness progresses. That is why mental and physical activity (as far as possible) is so important for them.
In addition, Anna advises really making use of support options and not believing that you have to cope with the situation alone. Counseling centers and self-help groups can offer emotional support and opportunities for exchange. But caregiving relief is also important. Just as Anna found Lucille via noracares, you too can specifically look for people who have experience with dementia and check the chemistry in advance.
noracares helps you find a suitable caregiver or nursing professional. There, the person concerned can also get to know the nurse or caregiver in advance and have a say in whom they can accept help from.
Caring for people with dementia is often demanding – emotionally, organizationally, and time-wise. That is precisely why it is important that those affected and their relatives are not left alone. The care levels in Austria provide a clear structure to financially secure these special care needs – such as those people like Alois have.
For the support to actually reach the person, careful application, a realistic assessment, and above all the correct classification are crucial. Only then can it be ensured that the care allowance matches the actual needs.
If you are affected yourself or supporting someone in your environment: Make use of the available options. Sometimes it takes courage to accept help – but that very help can make everyday life much easier and give you new strength.
Are you looking for a compassionate and experienced caregiver for a person with dementia? Sign up now at noracares and find the right care – flexible, reliable, and tailored exactly to your needs.
- Application submission: The formal process (in writing, by phone, or online) to apply for care allowance from the responsible authority (e.g. pension insurance).
- Medical expert assessment: A detailed evaluation of the health condition and care dependency by a physician as the basis for classification.
- Care and supervision needs: The time required beyond purely physical care to ensure safety and well-being (especially in dementia).
- Dementia-related illness: A collective term for diseases (such as Alzheimer’s) that involve memory loss, orientation difficulties, and the loss of everyday abilities.
- Additional difficulty allowance: A flat-rate bonus of 45 hours per month that is automatically added to the care need for people with dementia from care level 1.
- Meals on Wheels: A service that regularly delivers ready-made, warm meals to people in need of care.
- Home visit: An on-site appointment by an expert or a care professional to assess the actual living situation and care effort in the familiar environment.
- noracares: A platform for connecting caregivers and care professionals with people in need of care.
- Care allowance: A monthly, income-independent financial support in Austria, the amount of which depends on the time required for care (levels 1–7).
- Care leave / part-time care: A temporary leave of absence or reduction in working hours to care for close relatives. Recently, companies with five or more employees provide a legal entitlement to this break for up to three months in order to organize care.
- Care levels: A system of seven levels that defines the degree of care dependency – from level 1 (low need, 65+ hours) to level 7 (very high need, 180+ hours without purposeful movement).
- Objection: A legal means to request a reassessment of care needs if the assigned care level is considered too low.
- Subsidy for replacement care: Financial assistance (between 1,200 and 2,500 euros per year) to fund a substitute when caregiving relatives are unavailable due to illness or vacation.
