Family caregiving becomes a public issue

Around 600,000 people in Switzerland care for a relative in need of care at home. Many of them do so without the pay to which they would be legally entitled. For several years now, Spitex (home care) companies such as pflegehero have offered these people a service that guarantees them fair pay for family caregiving. Now – at last – the press is also bringing this topic to the attention of a wider public.

The consumer magazine K-Tipp, for example, recently published a guide on what family caregivers should look out for when choosing a Spitex organisation. It shows that “the terms of employment vary considerably”. Not all Spitex organisations can keep up, especially when it comes to financing the nursing assistant course and continued payment of wages in the event of illness. pflegehero is one of the role models here. We cover the cost of the Swiss Red Cross (SRK) course once it has been passed and continue to pay wages during illness. What is more, at CHF 36–42 per hour, we offer family caregivers the highest pay in Switzerland. And last but not least: as an independent company, pflegehero acts with complete neutrality. This cannot be taken for granted, as the SonntagsZeitung reported in an article. According to the article, the two largest health insurers, CSS and Helsana, hold financial stakes in the Spitex company “Pflegewegweiser” through subsidiaries.

Spitex organisations for family caregiving compared