More than 244 million euros for nursing care assistance in Saxony

In Saxony, more and more people in need of long-term care are relying on additional government assistance—and the costs are rising. This is evident from a response by the Ministry of Social Affairs to a parliamentary question posed by AfD representative André Wendt. According to the response, spending on so-called long-term care assistance in the Free State rose to more than 244 million euros last year. According to the data, costs in 2010 still amounted to around 55 million euros.

“The explosion in long-term care costs is placing an unbearable financial burden on those in need of care, their relatives, and local governments,” said Wendt. 

According to the Association of German Cities and Municipalities, so-called “long-term care assistance” provided by social welfare offices—when nursing home residents and their relatives can no longer pay their share of the costs—is now among the fastest-growing social welfare expenditures for municipalities in Germany. This assistance can be applied for if income and assets, combined with long-term care insurance benefits, are insufficient to cover care needs.

Nationwide, local government spending on long-term care assistance has risen from 4.5 billion euros in 2023 to 6 billion euros in 2025—an increase of 33 percent.