Family members burdened by high upfront costs for dementia care in Denmark

Family members face the burden of paying hundreds of thousands of kroner upfront for their elderly relatives suffering from dementia, a situation exacerbated by lengthy processing times within the guardianship department of the Family Court. Currently, establishing a guardianship arrangement takes around ten months, with additional waiting periods that follow. This not only consumes valuable time but also incurs substantial costs.

Anne Ermose, who is the legal guardian for her mother with dementia, illustrates the challenges of this system. She had to personally cover 70,000 kroner after her mother was suddenly required to move to a nursing home. “If I hadn’t intervened, my mother would have been forced to stay in her apartment, putting her in an even more vulnerable position,” Ermose stated. She criticized the system for placing families and guardians in an “impossible and utterly unfair situation.”

Furthermore, although Ermose’s mother had sufficient funds in her bank account, the cumbersome process meant that the daughter could only access a limited amount for initial expenses. The Family Court had to approve the withdrawals, leading Ermose to pay out of pocket and wait months for reimbursement. While she was able to manage this financially, she emphasized that not every family member can afford such significant upfront costs.

Delays have also complicated other expenses, including double housing costs and delays in selling her mother’s apartment. The Family Court received 22,000 guardianship requests last year, and that number has surged to 33,000 this year. Despite the government allocating additional funds, staff struggles to keep up with the volume of applications.

Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard acknowledged the deeply unsatisfactory situation and promises to introduce legislative changes aimed at simplifying processes and reducing waiting times.