Brazil distinguishes legal roles of caregivers and home care

In Brazil, a legal distinction exists between caregivers and home care services, defining different professional scopes and regulatory requirements for elderly care.

Caregivers focus on daily routines, including bathing, feeding, companionship, mobility assistance, and monitoring oral medication schedules. Under the Brazilian Classification of Occupations, this role does not require a professional council registration or sanitary qualification.

In contrast, home care involves technical clinical interventions such as wound care, injectable medication, tube feeding, airway aspiration, motor rehabilitation, and psychological support. These tasks are legally reserved for nursing professionals—including nurses, technicians, and assistants—who must be registered with the Regional Nursing Council, as mandated by Law No. 7.498/1986 and Decree No. 94.406/1987.

Regulatory discussions in the Chamber of Deputies have sought to preserve these nursing prerogatives, limiting caregiver medication administration strictly to oral forms under the guidance of a health professional.