If living independently at home is no longer possible, even with supportive services (such as home care), the solution is a full-time care service provided outside the home — a care home.
If you wish for the local government to partially cover the care home fee, you must first contact the local government where the person in need resides. Important! Always contact the municipality of the elderly person’s registered place of residence.
The task of the local government is to assess the elderly person’s need for care — determining what kind of help and to what extent is needed. Sometimes family medicine specialists assist social workers in this process.
The Ministry of Social Affairs website provides detailed information about elderly care, support services, and how these are organized across Estonia.
You can also ask the social worker for advice about care homes or do your own research — explore which homes are available in your area, what services they offer, and even visit them in person.
After the care needs assessment, the elderly person or their family member can, independently or with the help of a social worker, choose a preferred care home and submit a request for a place. Südamekodud has a dedicated webpage “Ask about available places”, where you can select a care home and submit an application.
Once the application is submitted, you are added to the waiting list, and the manager of the selected Südamekodu will contact you shortly.
Before making a final decision, we recommend visiting the homes in person. If you wish to visit Südamekodud, please inform us in advance and arrange a meeting with the manager of the selected home.
When applying for a nursing home, it is advisable to have the local government’s assessment of care needs already completed. However, in Estonia, some municipalities do not refer elderly people to care homes until a place is reserved. Therefore, always start by contacting your local government and finding out how the process works in your municipality. If you already have a specific nursing home in mind, be sure to inform the social worker.
If you’d like to visit a Südamekodu before applying, you are warmly welcome! Please inform the manager of the relevant home in advance. Südamekodud care homes are first and foremost real homes — guests are always welcome, but it’s nice to know about visits ahead of time.
After choosing a home and submitting an application, the availability of places or waiting time will be confirmed. The exact division of the fee between the client and the local government is also determined. All Estonian municipalities have set maximum rates (price limits) for covering care costs, and these vary across regions — your local government can tell you the specific rate for your area.
The social worker assesses both the person’s situation and their ability to cope using a health and social questionnaire. The main goal is to determine what kind of support the elderly person needs to manage daily life.
If your first-choice Südamekodu currently has no available places, the home’s manager can help you find a place in another Südamekodu. There are 12 Südamekodud homes across Estonia, and in 2025, the 13th home will open in Nõmme, Tallinn.
You should also consult your local government — social workers have an overview of all care service providers in your area.
Sometimes, round-the-clock care is the only way to ensure daily support. However, not all older people need full care — moving to a care home is usually considered only when living at home is no longer possible.
In some cases, maintaining quality of life only requires home-based assistance, known as home care services, provided by the local government. Although qualified providers are still few in Estonia, it is worth asking your municipality about available options. Just like with care home costs, municipalities can also partially compensate home care expenses.
It is also possible to move into a Südamekodu even if the care assessment shows that full-time care is not required. In such cases, the local government does not subsidize the costs, and the person or their family pays the full amount.
In addition to permanent residence (24-hour care), Südamekodud also offers temporary stays through an interval service designed for short-term living.
The interval service is most often used during winter months, offering a safe alternative for older people who may struggle with household tasks in cold, snowy conditions. Temporary stays are also common when family members are away on longer trips.
If you are interested in the interval service at a Südamekodu, please contact the manager of the specific home, who will provide details about conditions and availability for temporary stays.
The care reform has put pressure on all care homes across Estonia — there are currently more applicants than available places. The exact waiting time is hard to predict and changes constantly. Once you’ve submitted your application via the Südamekodud website and spoken with the manager, the precise waiting time will be clarified.
We are expanding our existing homes and building new ones to create more places. Our goal is to make quality care services accessible to more and more people. Südamekodud currently has 12 homes across Estonia, and in 2025, the 13th Südamekodu will open in Nõmme, Tallinn.
Leaving behind one’s familiar lifestyle may seem difficult, but living in a care home offers many benefits when independent living becomes challenging.
A care home provides everything needed for a fulfilling life: care and assistance including meals, social interaction, health monitoring, and, if desired, leisure and entertainment. These are the main components that make up the service price in Südamekodu homes.
The average cost structure per resident in the Südamekodud group is as follows:
On 1 July 2023, the care reform came into effect, changing and continuing to change many aspects of the care sector. In addition to a new funding model, the main goal of the reform is to ensure more personalized and higher-quality care in all care homes.
As a result, service providers now face higher standards, as the state aims for nationwide consistency in care quality. A regulation specifying these requirements has also been adopted and will be enforced starting 1 July 2026.
Elderly people need personalized care, which can only be provided by competent, trained, and supported staff. One of Südamekodud’s priorities is to train employees, standardize practices, and ensure fair salaries and continuous professional development.
The largest component of the service price is labour — more than half of the total cost. In line with the reform, we are hiring additional care staff and gradually increasing salaries for all employees, not only caregivers.
At Südamekodud, we are continuously improving the quality of our services.
– Our focus is on improving needs assessments, developing care plans, and working according to them — to proactively meet the new quality standards that will take effect in 2026.
– We also aim to improve opportunities for meaningful leisure activities, which are an essential part of dignified aging.
– We pay more attention to data protection, ethics, crisis preparedness, and unified quality principles — all of which impact service quality.
– We are developing an internal audit system to identify potential issues in service delivery and to protect both residents and employees.
– We also value employee well-being. Alongside professional training, we provide further education in self-care and health promotion, as well as practical wellness initiatives.
– We have created new positions to meet both residents’ expectations and state requirements. In addition to the catering manager role, our team now includes a quality and services manager, HR manager, and nursing manager — all ensuring consistently high-quality standards across all Südamekodud homes.
Previously, the full cost of care home residence was paid by the individual. Since the care reform took effect on 1 July 2023, the state allocates funds to local governments, which now partially cover the cost. The total price is divided between the client’s own contribution and the portion funded by the municipality (the care-related cost). You can explore examples of care home fee financing from The Ministry of Social Affairs website.
According to the law, local governments finance the care-related component of the service up to their set limit (threshold). It’s important to note that these limits vary widely across Estonia and, in some regions, cover only part of the care component.
By law, the local government covers the care component — the personnel costs of care workers and assistant care workers. This includes wages, work clothing, protective equipment, medical checks, vaccinations, and costs of training and supervision.
For those whose income is lower than the average old-age pension, the local government may also partially cover accommodation and meal costs.
The care home sends the invoice for the care component directly to the local government, while the remaining self-payment portion is paid by the resident or their family.
For example, if the care cost is €650 and the local government’s limit is €600, the municipality will pay €600 and the remaining €50 must be paid by the elderly person or their family. If the limit is €650, the municipality covers the full care cost.
The exact amounts can be confirmed with your local government and the chosen care home.
To receive local government funding, a care needs assessment must first be carried out. The elderly person (or their family) must contact the social worker of the local government where the person is registered. The social worker will perform the assessment and determine what type of assistance best meets the person’s needs.
Once the assessment confirms the care need, the elderly person or their family can, independently or with the help of the social worker, choose a preferred care home and request a place. After choosing the home, the division of payment between the person and the local government becomes clear. Upon moving in, the local government begins covering the care costs up to the set limit.
In Südamekodud, the price of a care home place depends on several components:
Before signing the contract, a copy of the ID card, a medical certificate or referral about the person’s health (form not specified), a treatment plan, and confirmation of no infectious diseases must be provided to the Südamekodu manager. After that, a contract is signed with the person responsible for payment.
Read more about the procedure for admitting new clients to the general care service.
All Südamekodu rooms are fully furnished and equipped to ensure both quality care and comfort. As the care home becomes one’s new home, it’s natural to bring along personal items to maintain a sense of normal daily life.
For clothing and hygiene items, we recommend consulting the team of the specific Südamekodu, as they can advise based on individual needs.
To make the room feel homier, residents are encouraged to bring small personal items — keepsakes, books, and even hobby materials (some bring accordions!). It’s also possible to personalize the space where possible — such as adding your own curtains or houseplants. The goal is to let everyday life continue as normally as possible.
If you wish to bring larger furniture, such as your own armchair or bed, please consult the specific Südamekodu team in advance to ensure the room has sufficient space.
Most Südamekodud homes have TVs in common areas, and in some houses, a TV can also be installed in private rooms. Radios are likewise welcome.
Pets are welcome to visit as long as they are socialized and well-behaved in public spaces. Residents usually do not move in with their pets, though this is not entirely excluded. Since most people come to the care home because they need assistance themselves, bringing a pet that also requires care can be challenging. However, exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis depending on the pet species.
Südamekodud homes are diverse and offer a variety of living environments. Most rooms are single or double occupancy, and in many cases, they include a balcony or terrace.
Single rooms are the most preferred option, as they allow residents to enjoy both social interaction and personal space. When expanding and building new homes, we prioritize this need by creating more private single rooms.
Each home has common areas, a kitchen and dining hall, and outdoor spaces. Many Südamekodud homes also have a café or a private room where residents and their families can celebrate special occasions together.
Across Südamekodud homes, residents can enjoy group exercise, celebrate holidays, attend devotionals, chat with a chaplain, and listen to concerts. Many homes employ an activity coordinator who organizes crafts and creative sessions. There are always shared spaces for spending time together. Cultural groups, children’s choirs, and cheerful volunteers often visit — offering art, crafts, therapy dog sessions, and more. Life at Südamekodud is vibrant and offers meaningful activities throughout the year.
Every Südamekodud home has its own kitchen where homely meals are prepared daily. The menus are well-balanced and thoughtfully designed to meet nutritional and vitamin needs. Whenever possible, we also consider residents’ preferences, allergies, intolerances, and eating abilities.
Every Südamekodu has qualified nurses who have completed the necessary training and hold certification. In some homes, the nurse is present on weekdays during working hours, while in others, nursing care is available 24/7.
Trips to the doctor or other important appointments are generally organized by the resident or their family. However, it is also possible to arrange Südamekodud’s own transport service or order special transport if needed.
Südamekodud homes are real homes for the elderly. Just like at home, there are no strict visiting hours. Still, we recommend scheduling visits at reasonable times and, if possible, checking each home’s suggested visiting hours to avoid overlap with care procedures — so you can spend quality time together.
Everything needed for daily living — from healthy home-style meals and snacks to entertainment and hobby materials — is provided in Südamekodud homes.
It’s natural to want to bring small treats for your loved one, but please consider their preferences and dietary needs. You can always consult with the resident or the Care Manager of the home beforehand.
Yes, residents can visit home for shorter or longer periods. If they wish to keep their room during their absence, the place must still be paid for, but meal costs will be deducted for the days away.
The most important thing is to communicate — talk and, most importantly, listen. For elderly residents, having someone to share their thoughts and feelings with is vital. Südamekodud staff provide professional care and psychological support, but the presence and involvement of family remain the most important factors for a resident’s well-being.
Regular communication — phone calls, video calls, and in-person visits — is the best way to stay informed. The Südamekodud team is always open to your questions. For specific inquiries, you can arrange a meeting with the Manager or Care Manager, or send an email for more detailed information.
The field of long-term care is, and will always be, emotionally complex. People move into care homes when self-care becomes difficult. Our role is to make their lives as comfortable and homelike as possible.
Südamekodud AS
Register code 14168513
Karjavälja st 4, Tallinn 12918
info@sudamekodud.ee