Practical help under the social services act – cleaning, laundry and shopping
The part of the trade that rarely makes headlines but fills much of everyday work
Personal care often receives the most attention when talking about the social and health assistant's profession. But a large part of the day is about practical help: cleaning, laundry and shopping, which allows the citizen to stay safely in their own home. This part of the job is just as legally regulated as care.
§What does section 83 say?
Service Law section 83 obligates the municipality to offer personal assistance and nursing plus help or support for necessary practical tasks in the home to people who due to temporary or permanent reduced physical or mental functional ability cannot perform these tasks themselves. Practical help is therefore not a municipal service you can order freely — it is a right triggered by a concrete need which the municipality assesses (source: danskelove.dk/serviceloven section 83).
§Admission and quality standard
It is not you who determines how much practical help a citizen should have. That is determined by a visitor based on a specific, individual assessment of the citizen's needs. Each municipality also describes the service level in a quality standard that sets what citizens can typically expect — for example how often cleaning is done or how a shopping service works. These standards vary from municipality to municipality.
§What does practical help specifically cover?
- 01Cleaning of the rooms in the home that are used daily.
- 02Laundry, often in cooperation with a laundry service or washing machine at home.
- 03Help with shopping, for example through a shopping scheme or accompaniment.
- 04Help with simple practical tasks that support a safe everyday life at home.
§Practical help and help with self-help are connected
Just as with personal care, the idea behind practical help today is largely help to self-help: can the citizen wipe the table themselves while you vacuum? Can the citizen help sort laundry or unpack goods after a shopping trip? Involving the citizen in the practical tasks they can manage is part of the same rehabilitative thinking you encounter in personal care — also see the article on everyday rehabilitation and §83a.
| Assignment | Example in practice. |
|---|---|
| Cleaning | Vacuuming and floor washing of the rooms the citizen uses daily |
| Laundry | Washing, drying and hanging after agreement with the resident |
| Procurement | Order or assisted purchase via municipality's purchasing scheme |
Practical help is rarely what people remember you for – but it is often what makes the difference in whether the home remains a safe place to live. If you combine the task with respect for the citizen's wishes and abilities, even cleaning and shopping become part of the professional care your profession is built on.