Informal care support (Wmo)

Appreciation for family caregivers

The municipality of Zoetermeer is grateful for informal caregivers. The municipality therefore gives an annual informal care appreciation of €200 to many caring informal caregivers. Young informal caregivers (under 18) can receive a gift voucher.

Important! Apply for the appreciation yourself every year on the Mantelzorgcentraal website . You can apply from April 1 to November 10.

News and activities

Registered family caregivers receive, in addition to the family care appreciation or gift certificate:

  • A newsletter and the magazine MantelKracht.
  • An invitation to a celebration of the Day of Mantel Care.
  • Activities especially for young family caregivers.

Respite care: taking a break from caring

Respite care means that someone takes over your care tasks (temporarily) so that you can rest. This allows you to sustain the informal care for longer. 

For more information, watch the movie from Mantelzorg.nl | What is respite care.

There are different forms of respite care:

Respite care light: short-term activities

These are activities where you as a caregiver can choose to join or not join yourself during the activity such as:

Example: the Unforgettable Cooking Club Zoetermeer

The Unforgettable Cooking Club Zoetermeer is an initiative of Alzheimer Nederland region Haaglanden and Resto Van Harte and is supported by the municipality of Zoetermeer. The Unforgettable Cooking Club is an activity where people with dementia and their caregivers get to work themselves, with a professional cook and volunteers, to prepare a 3-course dinner and then eat it together. Fun, an enjoyable evening out and meeting peers are the focus.

Respite care through home presence care

Attendance care means that someone comes into the home of the person who needs informal care. This gives the family caregiver extra time to deal with other things in your life.

Through volunteers

A volunteer can stay in the person's home so you can do something for yourself for a while. These could include volunteers from:

Through home care organizations

Attendance care can be requested from an indication via the Wmo or the Health Insurance Act. Would you like to know more? Please contact a Wmo consultant. For more information, see Help and support (Wmo).

Example: Mantel care buddy through the MEE Foundation

The MEE Foundation is now doing a trial with the Mantelzorgermaatje. It is a buddy project in which (voluntary) buddies are paired with informal caregivers. These buddies offer a listening ear and act as a confidant for the caregiver with knowledge of the issues surrounding care support.

Respite care through day care

Day care allows the person who needs informal care to go to a place where they do an appropriate activity one or more days a week. Think of a community center, community center or day care at a care farm. The informal caregiver then does not have to care for the whole day. 

For adults, there is day care from:

  • The Neighbor 
  • t Spark
  • Carpe Diem 
  • Buytenthuis
  • Garden easel
  • Activision
  • Cjoe 
  • Activity centre De Spil

More information can be found on the Zoetermeerwijzer websites or Respite Care Overview on Mantelzorg Centraal .

Day care is also available for children with disabilities. For more information, visit the website Zoetermeerwijzer | Day care for children with disabilities.

Example: The Neighbor Annie and the Neighbor Gonnie

inZet has also recently launched a low-threshold day facility: the Neighbor Woman. Among other things, this serves as informal care support. For more information, visit: inZet | The Neighbor Woman.

Respite care through short-term stay or overnight care

A short stay in an institution is for people who cannot be alone at home and receive help from a family caregiver and. The person needs 24-hour supervision and/or care. With a short stay, a person stays in an institution for up to 72 hours a week, which means that the informal caregiver does not have to provide care for a while. More information can be found at: Short-term stay in an institution (Wmo).

Short-stay options depend on the care the person needs. Adults can stay in:

Depending on the care a child or adolescent needs, there is also lodging care for children and adolescents. For more information, please visit Zoetermeerwijzer | Logeeropvang voor kinderen en jongeren. You can also contact Meerpunt.

Who helps apply for respite care?

The caregiver support coordinators of inZet and the independent client supporters of Zorgbelang provide free advice on applying for Respite Care.

Family care brokers can request and arrange reprieve care for you. This is not free of charge. If you have supplementary health insurance, you may be able to get part of the cost of a volunteer care broker reimbursed. More information can be found at: Beroepsvereniging Mantelzorgmakelaars.

Assistance from the municipality to family caregivers (Wmo)

The municipality offers practical help to family caregivers and the person they care for. Whether you are entitled to this depends on the situation. If you want to know more, please contact a Wmo consultant of the municipality. For more information, see Help and support (Wmo).

Carer parking permit

Are you a caregiver and does the person you care for live in a paid parking area or blue zone area in Zoetermeer? Then you can apply for a carer parking permit. 

More information and application form: Mantel Care Central | Parking.

Mantel care home

A family care home is an independent dwelling on your own property that includes your home. The person you care for lives in the informal care home. You can also live in the home yourself and then the person you care for lives in the house. 

More information: Care home .

Independent advice

Would you like help with informal care from someone independent of the municipality or a care provider? Independent client supporters work at the Zorgbelang Adviespunt. They have a duty of confidentiality. The help is free of charge.

They listen to your request for help, think with you and advise. The client supporters can also mediate complaints and problems with care providers and indications officers.

Young people can also contact client supporters. For more information, visit the website of Adviespunt Zorgbelang.

Are you a caregiver?

Do you care for a family member, friend or neighbor who has a long-term illness or disability? Then you are an informal caregiver. For example, you help with groceries, cleaning, showering or medicine. This can be very satisfying, but it can also be hard.

InZet helps with informal care support

At inZet you can get help and advice from informal care coordinators in personal conversations. In addition, inZet also organizes the informal care café and district meetings. During the informal care café themes are discussed and informal caregivers can share experiences and receive information from informal care coordinators. District meetings are mainly intended to meet other caregivers (fellow sufferers) to share stories and ask each other for tips or advice.

For more information on informal care support, visit the inZet | Informal Care Support website .

Consultation hours for questions or assistance 

Need help applying for informal care appreciation? Or other questions about informal care? Stop by at inZet's informal care consultation hour.
📅 Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
📍 Petuniatuin 7A (inZet walk-in location Noordhove & Seghwaert)