Informal care represents around 80% of all long-term care provided in EU countries. The  need for this type of care is expected to increase in the coming years in all OECD countries.

Portugal is among the OECD countries with the highest ageing index due to high life expectancy and low fertility rates. Portugal is expected to have more than 40% of the population over 65 years in 2037. It is estimated that 287,000 people in Portugal depend on informal carers.

Law No. 100/2019, of September 6, approved the Informal Carer Status, which regulates the rights and duties of the caregiver and the person receiving the care, establishing the respective support measures.

The law distinguishes between the primary informal carer and the non-primary informal carer.

The primary informal carer is considered to be the spouse or common law spouse or relative up to the 4th degree of the person receiving the care, who accompanies and cares for the person permanently, who lives with them and who does not receive any compensation for their professional activity or for the care provided.

Non-primary informal carers are those who regularly accompany and care for the person, but not on a permanent basis, and may or may not receive remuneration for their professional activity or for the care provided.

The Status of the Informal Carer provides for the following measures:

• The right to be accompanied and to receive training;
• The right to access information that clarifies both the person being cared for and the informal carer about the evolution of the disease and all the support to which they are entitled;
• The right to psychological support and periods of rest;
• The possibility of reconciling professional life with the care provided;
• The right to a support allowance for primary informal carers,

Under the new law, the status of primary informal carer is made by the competent social security services. The support allowance for the informal carer depends on a request to be filed at the social security services.

The law also foresees the creation of experimental projects for people who fall under the status of carer, which will be in force for a period of 12 months.

The regulation of this new law is now awaited.