The article considers the issues of social assistance of long-term care of individuals who lost ability to self-care. The comparative analysis of established practices of social assistance of long-term care, of legal and financial support of family members implementing such a care in Russia and European countries is presented. The study was carried out using comparative jurisprudence methodology. The analysis of legislative acts of the European countries revealed possibility of including particular legal provisions concerning financing of long-term care and implementing contractual forms of regulation of employment of family members providing such care, in the Russian social welfare system. The study demonstrated inadequate efficiency of the Russian systems of legal protection and social assistance both individuals seeking long-term care and individuals implementing it, as compared with similar systems in the European countries. To improve these systems, it is necessary to recognize legislatively the care of relative who lost the ability of self-serve as labor function liable to payment based on minimum wage rate. To fix legislatively retention of workplace for caregiver for entire period of caring and/or grant him unpaid vacation for long period. It is necessary to adjust both amount of benefits for care of family member who lost ability to self-care and procedure of calculation of amount of pension benefit of caregiver. The study results can contribute to widening scientific and practical professional discussion in the field of public health, health care organization and social work concerning problems of optimization of means and modes of supporting longterm care of persons who lost ability to self-care. The study results can serve as ground for making amendments to national legislation to harmonize legal support of social welfare system and to improve protection of rights of family members caring relative who lost ability to self-care in conditions of forced loss of income.

care, family member, long-term care, ability to self-care, worker, senior able-bodied age, social welfare system, insurance experience, Russia, European countries..