Hooldatavaid

Hooldatavaid is Estonian a participial adjective meaning “to be cared for” or “care-dependent.” It is used to describe people or other persons or items that require assistance, support, or supervision from others, typically within social welfare, healthcare, or elder care contexts. The form hooldatavaid is a inflected plural partitive or related case form of the base adjective hooldatav, and is commonly found in phrases like hooldatavad isikud or hooldatavate vajadustega.

In practice, hooldatavaid refers to individuals who need help with daily activities, medical treatment, or other services due to age, disability, illness, or after an operation. The term is often encountered in policy texts, care planning, and service provisions to identify the target groups for care services, funding, and support programs. It does not constitute a medical diagnosis by itself; rather it indicates care needs or dependency on support structures.

Care systems use the concept to organize resources such as personal assistance, home care, residential care facilities, rehabilitation services, and social support. The emphasis in usage is on ensuring dignity, autonomy, and appropriate levels of assistance for those described as hooldatavaid, while respecting privacy and consent.

See also: care, care services, elder care, disability services, social welfare, healthcare.