Although we expect the number of people in need of care to rise in the future, the requirement for care can often set on very suddenly and come as a surprise. Such cases call for fast and comprehensive support, from short-term health care and sorting out legal matters and questions concerning everyday life, to discussing problems within the community of interest.
This webpage provides you with information about contact persons at the university as well as external counselling services and legal aspects of care. We have also put together a list of relevant links
Staff members with relatives in need of care
Staff members with relatives in need of care have the following options:
In an acute care situation, employees are able to take leave from work for up to ten work days in order to organise the required care. During this time, they are entitled to a carer’s allowance as a form of wage replacement benefits.
Employees can be granted full or partial leave for up to six months in order to care for a close relative at home. It is also possible to request a period of care to provide end-of-life companionship for up to three months.
Employees can take leave of absence for up to 24 months to care for a close relative at home, provided they work a minimum of 15 hours per week. Family carers are entitled to an interest-free loan to better secure their livelihood. Periods of care and family care can be requested if the person in need of care is a minor and a close relative who lives at or outside the home of the employee.
The Pflegezeitgesetz (Home Care Leave Act) and the Familienpflegezeitgesetz (Family Caregiver Leave Act) do not apply to civil servants!
For more information, please contact the HR Department.
Students with relatives in need of care
Students caring for a close relative who is sick or otherwise in need of assistance can contact the Students’ Registration Office and take leave of absence, extend their standard period of study or take advantage of preferential admission.
At the Students’ Registration Office, students can apply a leave of absence from their studies to care for a relative who is a sick or otherwise in need of assistance if the required period of care lasts for more than half of the lecture period. In addition to the application, a medical certificate must be submitted. As a general rule of principle, leaves of absence are only granted for the current or the upcoming semester, but not for past semesters. Semesters on leave of absence are not counted as semesters of study.
At the Central Examination Office, students can apply for an extension of the standard period of study if they are caring for a close relative who is ill or otherwise in need of assistance and if the period of care makes it impossible to continue regular studies. The continuation of regular studies is assumed impossible in particular if, due to the care, more than a quarter of the regularly scheduled courses cannot be attended during the semester.
If there are courses that can be attended at various times during the week, students with children or relatives in need of care can sign up in advance for the class times that best fit their daily routine.
So far, prioritised admission is only possible in the degree courses Human Medicine and Law. However, preparations to extend this to all other subject areas are underway.
Preferential admission is granted by the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Law and Economics or in the Dean’s Office of Greifswald Medical School.
Contact points in and around Greifswald
Family caregivers can get help and support at the following contact points:
Help and further information for people with disabilities
www.pflegestuetzpunktemv.de [de]
Counselling service from the health and care insurance companies; staff members at the Care Support Point also pay home visits to people who are unable to make their way to the offices.
www.behindertenforum-greifswald.de
Helping people to help themselves and set up self-help groups; social support and consultations on legal matters and questions concerning everyday life for people with disabilities, their relatives and friends
www.caritas-vorpommern.de [de]
General social counselling; family counselling
www.buergerhafen.de
- Civic engagement in and around Greifswald as well as further education and guidance for locals.
- Arranging support and counselling for people who would like and are in need of assistance in order to maintain their competence
- Current socio-political debates and activities
- Forming an intellectually and spiritually open-minded community
Mobile counselling service; child- and youth welfare services; elderly care and social welfare
Further information on the subject of care
Information provided by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth:
Paths to care
Dementia guide [de]
Service portal Aging at home
Information on revised family care periods [de]