nursing home
Loading your saved state.
nursing home
A facility where people in need of care, especially older people, live and receive care and support around the clock.
Nach ihrem Schlaganfall zog die Großmutter in ein Pflegeheim, da sie nicht mehr allein leben konnte.
After her stroke, the grandmother moved into a nursing home because she could no longer live alone.
The word 'Pflegeheim' (nursing home) is made up of 'Pflege' (care) and 'Heim' (home). So it is literally a home where people receive care.
Ein Platz im Pflegeheim kann sehr teuer sein.
A place in a nursing home can be very expensive.
The word belongs to the word family of 'pflegen' (to care for) and 'die Pflege' (care). If you know these words, you can understand the meaning of 'Pflegeheim' (nursing home) more easily.
Er pflegt seine kranke Mutter zu Hause.
He cares for his sick mother at home.
Pay attention to the preposition 'in' and the case: movement to a place is expressed with the accusative ('ins Pflegeheim ziehen' — to move into a nursing home), while being at a place requires the dative ('im Pflegeheim wohnen' — to live in a nursing home).
Er musste seine Mutter schweren Herzens in ein Pflegeheim geben.
With a heavy heart, he had to put his mother in a nursing home.
home / institution
'das Heim' and 'das Pflegeheim' can both refer to a facility where people live and receive care. However, 'das Heim' is more general: it can be, for example, an 'Altenheim' (nursing home), 'Kinderheim' (children's home), or a home for people with disabilities. 'das Pflegeheim' is more specific and refers to a facility for people who need care, often older people. Learners may confuse the words because both contain 'Heim'. When care and support are the main focus, 'Pflegeheim' is more precise.
Nach dem Krankenhaus zieht seine Großmutter in ein Pflegeheim.
After the hospital, his grandmother is moving into a nursing home.
Luis arbeitet in einem Heim für Menschen mit Behinderung.
Luis works in a home for people with disabilities.