How to access support for Informal Caregivers in Portugal?

Support for Informal Caregivers: What are the requirements, benefits, and how to access?

The Informal Caregiver Support in Portugal is a monthly subsidy provided by the State to alleviate the financial difficulties of those who care for close dependent individuals due to debilitating health conditions such as chronic illnesses or physical disabilities.  

This program was created with the objective of valuing the essential role of informal caregivers, recognizing that many of them sacrifice their professional and personal lives to provide essential care to their loved ones.

What are the criteria to benefit from support?  

To access support, it is necessary to meet some requirements:

• Must be the primary informal caregiver: The allowance is intended for the primary informal caregiver, who is the person who assumes the responsibility of providing daily care to another, living in the same residence and taking care of the dependent's essential needs; 

• High degree of dependency: Support is for caregivers of family members or other close people who have a high degree of dependency and need constant assistance to perform basic daily tasks;

• Performance criteria: The support is focused on caregivers of households with low incomes. Therefore, the income of the caregiver's household is considered when assigning the subsidy, ensuring that it reaches those who need it most;

• Legal recognition is required: The caregiver needs to be formally recognized as an informal caregiver through registration with Social Security, with documentation proving the relationship and dependency of the person being cared for.

What benefits does the support grant access to?

Besides the monthly allowance, the program offers other benefits to support the informal caregiver and improve their quality of life:  

• Training and psychological support: Many informal caregivers do not have specific training to deal with complex health care. Support includes training, helping caregivers acquire skills, and psychological support to promote their mental health and well-being.

• Support network: The program includes access to a support network for guidance on rights, local resources, and care strategies. The network connects the caregiver to health services, support centers, and other organizations that can help.

• Rest periods: Informal caregivers can access rest periods where they receive temporary alternative support to take care of others, giving them time to recover physically and mentally.

How to request support for informal caregivers?

To request support, the caregiver must follow some steps:

• Register as an informal caregiver: The caregiver must register as an informal caregiver with Social Security, presenting documents proving the dependency of the person being cared for; 

• Submit the request: After registering, the caregiver needs to fill out a specific form, attaching income proof documents, which are necessary to assess eligibility - to submit the support request.

• Evaluation and approval: Social Security analyzes the request based on the criteria of dependency and income. If approved, the caregiver starts receiving the subsidy monthly. This analysis can be periodically reviewed to adjust the support in case of changes in the caregiver's or care recipient's situation.

It is worth mentioning that legislation was promulgated and published in the Official Gazette on November 6th, already in force, which extends the informal caregiver status to people without family ties, with the subsidy now including caregivers who are friends or neighbors, if they live with the person being cared for.

Regarding the subsidy amount, it continues to depend on the relevant income of the main informal caregiver's household, and cannot exceed 1.3 times the Indexante de Apoios Sociais (IAS).

Support for Informal Caregivers is not just financial assistance, but also a recognition of the role of the informal caregiver, who often gives up a career or other personal activities to provide care to another.  

With this support, the Portuguese government recognizes the contribution of informal caregivers to society and provides them with resources to maintain their quality of life while taking care of someone important.

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