‘We are living longer, and most older people remain healthy and active well into retirement. This is a positive development. At the same time, more people will need health and care services in the years ahead. We are therefore investing in Eldreløftet to give all older people in Norway confidence that they will receive the healthcare they need,’ says Minister of Health and Care Services Jan Christian Vestre.

‘To give older people and their families peace of mind, the Labour government is prioritising support for more nursing home places nursing home beds, grants to help older people make their homes age-friendly, funding to enable voluntary organisations to draw on the resources and experience of older people and, not least, the hearing aid guarantee,’ said Vestre.

Eldreløftet was launched in 2025. It is the Labour government’s comprehensive initiative to promote secure, active and dignified care for older people. Society as a whole must help more older people live safely in their own homes for longer. At the same time, everyone should feel confident that a nursing place will be available in their municipality when they need one.

A good old age is about more than where people live. Eldreløftet will therefore also mobilise the voluntary sector to create welcoming meeting places for older people, where they can participate and contribute to society.

In its proposed National Budget for 2027, the government is proposing:

  • a funding pledge of up to NOK 4.064 billion in investment grants for approximately 1,750 in 2027. At least 30 per cent of the funding will be reserved for places that result in a net increase in capacity in the municipalities receiving the grants;
  • an additional NOK 20 million for the grant scheme Aktivitetstiltak for Eldrekraften (activities that draw on the resources of older people), bringing the total allocation to NOK 91.3 million;
  • continued grants for age-friendly improvements to people’s homes, with an allocation of NOK 90.6 million in 2027; and
  • NOK 16.5 million to follow up the hearing aid guarantee by increasing GP reimbursement rates. This will facilitate more examinations and better referrals and help achieve the target of a maximum waiting time of four months for a hearing aid by 2029.

Minister of Health and Care Services Jan Christian Vestre explained the investment in eldrekraften – harnessing the resources of older people – as follows:

‘We need the resources and experience of older people. It must be much easier for them to participate and contribute than it is today. There are currently more than one million old-age pensioners in Norway. Many of them want to contribute, and they have valuable resources in the form of time, life experience and expertise. Together with the voluntary sector and representatives of older people, we will harness these resources to carry out important tasks in local communities.’

The government has previously launched a hearing aid guarantee. This is particularly important for the many older people who experience hearing loss and the adverse health effects associated with it. The proposed National Budget for 2027 therefore includes funding to follow up the guarantee by increasing GP reimbursement rates.

‘Hearing is fundamental to most of us. The waiting times we have seen for hearing aids are therefore unacceptable. The hearing aid guarantee states clearly that the waiting time must not exceed four months. Next year, we will follow up the guarantee by allocating NOK 16.5 million for more examinations and better referrals,’ said Vestre.

The government intends to support municipalities in responding to an ageing population. It is therefore increasing the number of round-the-clock care places eligible for funding. At the same time, the government will help municipalities speed up the refurbishment and construction of these places by removing any requirements that are unique to the grant scheme and are not required under other legislation or regulations.

‘We are listening to local politicians across the country who say that central government requirements make construction more expensive. The government is now removing these requirements, enabling municipalities to build nursing home places more quickly and effectively using solutions tailored to local circumstances,’ said Vestre.

Alongside its investment in round-the-clock care places, the government also wants to help more older people make age-friendly improvements to their homes. This will enable more older people who wish to do so to live safely at home for longer. The government has therefore established a grant scheme under which older people can receive NOK 75,000 towards age-friendly home improvements. The scheme is administered by the Norwegian State Housing Bank, and the government proposes continuing it in 2027.