Accommodation for the elderly and infirm

Accommodation in this context means care outside one’s own family and is one of the most common services in the social welfare system used by senior citizens. It includes housing, food, care, healthcare, social work and active leisure time

Pursuant to the Social Welfare Act, accommodation service providers may be: a home, centre providing services to the community, association, religious community, company or other domestic or foreign legal person or trade business, as well as a family-style care home.

Senior citizens can use the service of accommodation pursuant to an accommodation agreement they or their legal representative concludes with a service provider or pursuant to a social welfare centre’s decision.
 
Persons who have concluded an accommodation agreement and their legal representatives fully bear the cost of the service of accommodation.

For senior citizens without adequate resources to cover the cost of accommodation, a social welfare centre will adopt a decision on the recognition of the service of accommodation if this is the best possible solution for the senior citizen in the opinion of an expert employee of the centre.

The beneficiary of the service of accommodation has to participate in covering the cost of accommodation with their income reduced by the amount of the beneficiary’s person needs allowance, assets not used by the beneficiary or their household members to meet their basic housing needs and essentials. If this is not sufficient, the beneficiary’s statutory maintenance debtors have to cover, in full or in part, the service price, in accordance with the settlement concluded with the social welfare centre or family affairs regulations.

Having exhausted all of the aforementioned options, the cost of accommodation will be paid, in full or in part, from the state budget.

Social service providers established by the Republic of Croatia provide social services at the price determined by the minister competent for social welfare.

The price of services outside the social services network is determined by the social service providers themselves.