An adult daughter and her mother laughing together in the garden

Pflege einfach erklärt!Care, explained simplyFor families and care workers in Germany.

Care needs often come overnight. It helps to be prepared.

372 topics, explained in plain words: from the care level (Pflegegrad) to money, daily life and your own strength. Based on German law. As an app for on the go and as a large e-book to read at home.

Try the app for free (German)See the app and e-book

Care in Germany

A wave that reaches almost every family

We live longer than any generation before us. That is a great gift. But it also means that more and more people need support at the end of a long life. At the end of 2023, about 5.7 million people in Germany needed long-term care. Almost nine out of ten live at home. Most of the care is done by daughters, sons and partners, often with help from care workers who came to Germany from abroad.

In the next 10 to 15 years, the baby boomers will reach the age when care needs become much more common. These are the large age groups born in the late 1950s and the 1960s. At the same time, there are already not enough care workers today, and the forecasts say the gap will grow.

For many families this means: care becomes a task you can prepare for. If you know your rights and the help that exists early on, you can decide more calmly when the time comes.

5.7 millionpeople in need of care at the end of 2023

86%of them are cared for at home

3.1 millioncared for mainly by family members

How many people will need care?

People in need of care in Germany, in millions. Projection by the Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt): the blue corridor shows two assumptions, the orange dots show the actual numbers.

Care rates stay the sameCare rates keep risingActual numberBaby boomers turn 80

The actual number is already higher than the projection. Part of the rise comes from the wider definition of care need in 2017. Since then, more people receive benefits. Sources: Federal Statistical Office, care statistics 2023 (Pflegestatistik, December 2024), care projection (Pflegevorausberechnung, March 2023, base year 2021), care workforce projection (Pflegekräftevorausberechnung, January 2024). Projections are not forecasts. They show possible developments under certain assumptions.

What this means in daily life

It often starts on a normal Tuesday

A fall, a diagnosis, a call from the hospital. From one day to the next, you have to decide things nobody ever talked about before. The answers exist, but they are spread across laws, forms and advice centres.

Which care level is realistic?What money and help are we entitled to?Who steps in when I can no longer cope?

An older woman measures her husband’s blood pressure at home — Caring for a partnerWhen your own partner needs help

An adult son cooking with his father — Caring for parentsWhen your father or mother can no longer manage alone

A mother pushes her teenage son in a wheelchair through a park — Children and teenagersWhen your own child needs care

What many families are entitled to

If you know your rights, caring gets easier

Many benefits from the long-term care insurance fund (Pflegekasse) are only found by people who look for them. The app and the e-book explain what exists, who gets it and how you apply.

€131relief amount (Entlastungsbetrag) per month, from care level 1

€3,539per year for respite care (Verhinderungspflege) and short-term care (Kurzzeitpflege), from care level 2

€4,180grant per measure to adapt your home (wohnumfeldverbessernde Maßnahmen), from care level 1

€42per month for consumable care aids (Pflegehilfsmittel zum Verbrauch), from care level 1

Amounts according to SGB XI, as of October 2026. Whether you receive a benefit, and how much, depends on conditions. The app and the e-book explain them for each benefit.

Two tools that work together

Understand with the e-book. Act with the app.

When you care for someone, you need two things: time to understand how it all fits together, and quick help at the right moment. That is why there are two tools with different strengths. Both are currently available in German only. English versions are in preparation.

Available now in German

E-book cover: Pflege einfach erklärt! The big guide for everyone who cares for a family member (German edition)

The e-book: your reference at home

Read from start to finish and understand the connections: 24 areas that build on each other, from the first day to saying goodbye
The quick finder “What is happening right now?” takes you from your situation straight to the right chapter
Table of contents, bookmarks and full-text search across 1,307 pages
Highlight text and add your own notes, in any PDF program
The file is yours and stays on your device, even without internet
First in German. An English e-book is in preparation.

€24.90PDF, German edition

Buy the e-book

Available now in German

The app: your companion on the go

The answer in seconds: at the doctor’s, in hospital, at two in the morning
5 calculators you only find in the app: benefits, combination benefit (Kombinationsleistung), respite care, own share of nursing home costs (Eigenanteil), tax
The care traffic light shows at a glance what you can do yourself
Checklists to tick off and a saved list for your most important topics
The emergency page is always just one tap away
Currently in German. An English version is in preparation.

€11.90one-off, no subscription

Try for free (German)

Understand at home, act on the goRead in peace in the evening what lies ahead. Look things up quickly at the appointment the next day.

Each does what the other cannotThe calculators and the quick traffic-light view are only in the app. Reading from start to finish, notes and the quick finder are in the e-book.

Both in one bundleThe app and the e-book together for €29.90.

Our recommendationE-book and app bundle

€29.90

Buy the bundle

How the app works

Clear, calm and step by step

Each topic is short and explained in the order you need it. No jargon, based on the law as of October 2026. The care team with Brigitte and Kofi and the Heinz family guide you through all topics with pictures. The app is in German for now.

372 topics in 24 areasFrom applying for a care level to dementia and personal hygiene, money, law and saying goodbye.

The care traffic lightFor every task, it shows who should do it.

You can do thisGet shown firstFor professionals

5 calculatorsBenefits per care level, combination benefit, respite and short-term care, own share of nursing home costs, carer’s tax allowance (Pflege-Pauschbetrag).

Emergency pageWhat to do first in an emergency, always just one tap away.

Comic: Grandpa Heinz plays a board game at the day care centre — Trying out day care (Tagespflege)Organising help

Comic: A care worker explains the care levels to an older woman — Care levels 1 to 5Care level and assessment

Comic: A family carer sits thoughtfully next to Grandpa, who is asleep — How stressed are you?You yourself

Comic: Grandpa Heinz puts the emergency sheet on the fridge — The emergency sheetFirst steps

Free, no sign-up

Take a look in your own time

Some parts of the app are free for everyone. So you can see if it helps you before you pay anything. Later you unlock full access with your personal code. Please note: the app is in German for now.

Try the app for free (German)Full access €11.90 (German version)

Emergency pageWhat to do first in an emergency, with the important phone numbers.
First stepsThe whole starter area for the first days.
Calculator “Benefits per care level”What the long-term care insurance fund pays at each care level.
1 to 2 topics from every areaSo you can see how the app works.

Explained in one minute

Brigitte and Kofi regularly explain one topic from the app. Calm and clear. The short videos are in German.

On YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook:
@pflege.einfach.erklaert

Applying for a care grade: one phone call is enough

In need of care? What the word really means

Who helps for free? Three places you should know

Family meeting. Who does what?

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Is there an English version?

Not yet. The app and the e-book are currently available in German only. An English app and an English e-book are in preparation and coming soon. The short videos are also in German. This English page helps you understand what the offer is about.

Do I need the app and the e-book?

Both cover the same 372 topics, but they work in different ways. The e-book is your reference for reading from start to finish, with a quick finder, bookmarks and your own notes. The app is for on the go and has the calculators, the traffic light and checklists to tick off. Many people need both, so we also offer them together as a bundle.

Do I have to install anything?

No. The app runs in your browser. On your phone you can use “Add to Home Screen” to keep it like a normal app.

Is this a subscription?

No. You pay once and get your personal access code. Nothing renews automatically.

How do I get the e-book?

After buying, you receive a download link for the PDF file. The e-book is for your personal use only.

Do the app and the e-book replace care counselling?

No. They explain, give an overview and help you prepare for conversations. For your own situation you have a right to free care counselling (Pflegeberatung) from your long-term care insurance fund or a care support centre (Pflegestützpunkt). Medical questions belong with your GP practice and your nursing service (Pflegedienst).

How up to date is the content?

The content reflects the law as of October 2026. A care reform is planned for 2027. As soon as it is passed, the topics it affects will be updated.

What happens to my data?

The app does not need an account. Your saved list and checklists are stored only on your device.