We support all informal carers living in the municipality of Nijmegen. And we pay extra attention to young informal carers, informal carers with a migrant background, GGZ informal carers and working informal carers.
We can listen to you. Together, we look at how you can continue to take good care of your neighbour and yourself. With us, you can also take part in courses, (theme) meetings, activities and a discussion group. We also focus on the Week of Young Informal Carers and the Day of Informal Care. Here you can meet other informal carers and share experiences. You do not have to pay for our support.
You are a carer when you care for someone important to you. Even if you mainly worry a lot or adapt often To the situation, you are a carer.
You are a young carer when you are young and caring for someone important to you. Even if you mainly worry a lot or adapt often To the situation, you are young carer.
You are a migrant carer when you care for someone important to you and you both have migration backgrounds. Even if you mainly worry a lot or adapt often To the situation, you are a carer.
You are a mental health carer when you care for someone important to you. You care because that person has a mental illness or addiction. Even if you mainly worry a lot or adapt often To the situation, you are a carer.
You are a working informal carer when you care for someone important to you in addition to your work. Even if you mainly worry a lot or adapt often To the situation, you are a carer.
An overview of what we can do and organise for informal carers. This includes individual support, courses, (theme) meetings, activities and the discussion group. But also the Week of the Young Carer
and Mantel Care Day.
If you work and care for a loved one, you can adjust your working hours or work fewer hours. You can also save overtime and use it for unexpected care tasks. This can help combine work and care better. Thanks to the Flexible Working Act, you can work from home or at times that are more convenient. You may also ask to work fewer hours.
Talk to your employer about your situation. Together, you can look for a good solution. Keep in mind that your employer may refuse. More information can be found at here.
If you work and care for someone close to you, you can take short-term care leave. This is intended if you need to care for someone temporarily. You are entitled to 2 times the number of hours you work per week. For example, if you work 24 hours, you get 48 hours of leave within 12 months.
You discuss with your employer how you want to take these hours: all at once or spread out. During the leave, you will receive at least 70% of your salary. Your employer is usually not allowed to refuse your request. Only if it causes the company major problems can this be different. More information can be found at here.
If you work and care for a loved one, you can take long-term care leave. You are entitled to 6 times the number of hours you work per week, within 12 months. This leave is unpaid. For example, if you work 32 hours, you get 192 hours of leave per year.
You must request this in writing from your employer at least 2 weeks in advance. Your employer is usually not allowed to refuse your request. Only if it puts the company in big trouble can this be different. More information can be found at here.
The municipality of Nijmegen has decided that from January 2026 it will no longer be possible to apply for the informal care compliment. We understand that this may be disappointing news for informal carers. Want to know what other forms of support are available? Feel free to contact us. We are happy to think along with you.
If you care for a relative and travel by car, you can use a carer's parking permit in Nijmegen. If your relative lives in an area with paid parking, he or she can apply for this permit.
The carer parking permit allows you to park more cheaply in the neighbourhood. To apply, your loved one must first apply for the informal care compensation. More information can be found at here.
As a carer, you travel to care for your loved one. Is the distance too great? Then you may want to live closer together. The person living in Nijmegen can apply for a carer's permit. This is only possible if the distance is now more than 5 kilometres and becomes less than 5 kilometres after the move. More information can be found at here.
There is no official proof that you are a carer. Yet organisations often ask for this. For example, for an informal care home, joint tenancy, a declaration of urgency or exemption from the obligation to apply for a job. They often want a statement from the GP. But GPs do not always cooperate. Can't get a declaration from the GP? Then collect other evidence:
Write down what you do, such as going along to appointments, grooming, administration or housework. This can sometimes be accepted as alternative evidence. More information can be found here.
A care home is a small dwelling near your home. It is for your loved one. But you can also live there yourself, while your loved one lives in the main building. You can put a ready-made house in the garden, make an extension or convert a garage into a home for informal care.
Since 2014, you are often allowed to build a care home without a permit. But the rules change and are different for each municipality. Do you want to build an informal care home? Ask the municipality of Nijmegen which rules apply now. More information can be found at here.
