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Caring for an Ageing Parent in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

Home help, day centres, care homes, and continuing care for older people in Portugal, the benefits that help pay, and the legal steps to plan early.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

Caring for an Ageing Parent in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • Your parent lives in Portugal, or is moving here, and needs more help each year.
  • You are retired here and want to plan for your own care later.
  • You are already caring for an older relative and want to know what support exists.

Not for you if: you want the rules on being recognised as a family carer and the carer's payment. Read Becoming a Recognised Informal Carer in Portugal instead.

Care for older people in Portugal comes from two public systems and many charities. The health service (SNS) gives medical and nursing care, including continuing care after a hospital stay. Segurança Social, the social security service, funds home help, day centres, and care homes, most of them run by charities such as the Misericórdias. In the charity sector, what you pay depends on household income. Places are limited, so you may have to join a waiting list. Start early, and apply for the benefits your parent may be due.

Who does what

  • The SNS covers doctors, nurses, hospital care, and the national continuing care network (RNCCI).
  • Segurança Social pays benefits and supports social care services under agreements with the providers.
  • Charities and private providers run most services. These include the Misericórdias and other private social solidarity institutions (IPSS). Purely private homes and agencies set their own prices.

Before anything else, make sure your parent is registered with a health centre and has a family doctor. See Getting an SNS Número de Utente.

Help at home

Segurança Social lists six kinds of social care for older people. The first four help your parent stay at home.

  • Home support service (serviço de apoio domiciliário). A team visits to help with personal care, meals, and daily tasks. It is meant for people who cannot manage alone, temporarily or for good, and have no family help.
  • Day centre (centro de dia). Your parent spends the day there and comes home at night. It gives meals, care, company, and activities. People aged 65 and over come first.
  • Social centre (centro de convívio). Leisure and cultural activities for people aged 65 and over in the area. It helps prevent loneliness.
  • Night centre (centro de noite). A place to sleep for people aged 65 and over who manage during the day but feel alone or unsafe at night.
  • Family placement (acolhimento familiar). Your parent lives with an approved family, temporarily or for good. It is for people aged 60 and over.

Care homes

The official name for a care home is ERPI (estrutura residencial para pessoas idosas). Most people still say lar de idosos. A care home gives housing, social support, and nursing care, for a short stay or for good. It is for people aged 65 and over, with exceptions decided case by case.

What it costs. In homes run by charities under an agreement with Segurança Social, you pay a monthly amount based on family income. Private homes set their own prices.

Waiting lists. After you sign up with a home, you may go on a waiting list. The home contacts you when a place is free. Sign up with more than one home if you can.

Use only licensed homes. Ask to see the home's operating licence before you sign anything. You can also check Carta Social, the ministry's directory of social care services.

How to find and apply for a place

  1. Search for services near your parent. Carta Social lists care homes, day centres, and home support services by area.
  2. Contact the provider directly. You apply to the institution that runs the service.
  3. Or ask Segurança Social. Go to the Segurança Social office for the area where your parent lives. In the city of Lisbon, you can also contact the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa.
  4. Bring proof of income. Charity fees are set on household income, so the home will ask for it.

Continuing care after illness

The national continuing care network (Rede Nacional de Cuidados Continuados Integrados, RNCCI) is for people who need recovery, rehabilitation, or long-term support after illness. A typical case is after a stroke, a fall, or surgery. It has:

  • convalescence units
  • medium-stay and rehabilitation units
  • long-stay and maintenance units
  • home care teams

You cannot book a place yourself. If your parent is in an SNS hospital, speak to the ward or the hospital's discharge team (Equipa de Gestão de Altas). If your parent is at home or in a private hospital, contact the family health team at their health centre.

What it costs. Depending on the type of unit, you may pay a share of the social support costs, worked out on household income.

The SNS also has palliative care teams and units. They relieve suffering and support the family, including in grief. Ask the hospital team or family doctor.

Benefits that help pay for care

Dependency supplement (complemento por dependência). A monthly top-up for pensioners who need another person's help with daily life. In 2026 it pays:

WhoFirst degreeSecond degree
General scheme pensioners€131.20€236.16
Social and non-contributory pensioners€118.08€223.04

First degree means help is needed with washing, eating, or moving about. Second degree adds being bedridden or severe dementia. There is an extra payment in July and December. You apply online, at a Segurança Social office, or by post, with form RP 5027. Segurança Social's medical service assesses the level of dependency. It says it answers in about 150 days.

The supplement is for people with a Portuguese pension or the social inclusion benefit, and some people with serious illnesses. It cannot be combined with the informal carer's support payment.

Solidarity supplement for older people (complemento solidário para idosos, CSI). A monthly top-up for low-income pensioners. In 2026 the reference value is €8,040 a year for one person, or €14,070 for a couple. Your parent must be at least 66 years and 9 months old. They must also have lived in Portugal for at least six years in a row. Children's income no longer counts. CSI also brings extra health benefits for medicines, glasses, and dentures. See the Solidarity Supplement guide.

Informal carer status. If you or another relative is the main carer, you can ask for recognition. It brings training, rest periods, and, for full-time carers on a low income, a monthly payment. See Becoming a Recognised Informal Carer in Portugal.

Disability certificate. If your parent's disability is rated at 60% or more, the multipurpose disability certificate opens tax relief and other help. See Getting a Disability Certificate.

Tax relief. Part of what is spent on care homes and home support can count as an income tax deduction. gov.pt gives the rate as 25% of the cost, within limits. Check how it applies to your family before you file. See Filing Your IRS Tax Return.

Power of attorney (procuração). While your parent can still decide, they can give a trusted person power to act for them, for example with the bank. A notary can draw it up. See Notaries in Portugal.

Living will (testamento vital). Your parent can write down the care they want, or do not want, if they cannot speak for themselves later. They can also name one or more health care proxies. A living will lasts five years. See the Living Will guide.

Accompanied adult (maior acompanhado). If your parent can no longer manage their own affairs, a court can appoint someone to support them. The support covers only the areas where it is needed, such as money or legal papers. Your parent can ask for it, or a spouse, partner, or close relative can ask with their permission. The public prosecutor (Ministério Público) can ask without it.

A will. If your parent owns property in Portugal, a Portuguese will can save the family trouble. See Inheritance and Wills in Portugal.

If your parent is moving to Portugal

  • Residence first. A non-EU parent needs a visa and residence permit, often through family reunification. See Visas and Residency in Portugal.
  • Then health care. Register with the health centre as soon as your parent has an address here.
  • Check the waiting periods. CSI needs six years of residence. The dependency supplement depends on a Portuguese pension or another qualifying benefit. Do not count on these in the first years.
  • Start with home support and day centres, which are often easier to find than a care home place.

What this means for you

  • Register early with the health centre and get a family doctor. Most routes start there.
  • Get on waiting lists early. Charity care homes are the most affordable, and places are scarce.
  • After a hospital stay, ask the discharge team about continuing care before your parent leaves.
  • Claim what your parent is due. The dependency supplement and CSI can make a real difference.
  • Sort out the paperwork while your parent can still decide: power of attorney, living will, and will.

This guide is general information, not medical or legal advice. Rules and amounts change; check with Segurança Social or the SNS before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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