In many medieval towns or just outside them, there were hospices, where the elderly, the sick and the orphans were taken care of. Friars and sisters who knew a lot about health-care and herbs treated people who were ill. Orphans were taken care of until they were old enough to fend for themselves.
At the hospice, old and sick people paid as much as they could afford. If they had a lot of money, they paid a lot, but if they had no money at all, they were treated for nothing. The hospices depended on donations and gifts. Often, farms were given to them. The farms could then be leased, and in this way the friars and sisters earned some money.
The town was responsible for the hospices. The Town Council decided whether a nursing home was needed and how it should be run. Every nursing home had a church and a priest of its own. Many hospices were, like the hospitals, dedicated to St. George.