support for informal care in the city of helsinki tarja kivekäs head of social and contact work...

Support for Informal Care in the City of Helsinki

Tarja KivekäsHead of Social and Contact WorkResponsibility of Elderly ServicesSocial Services Department

65+ Population Prognosis in Finland65+ Population Prognosis in Finland ((Central Statistics, Finland: February 2005Central Statistics, Finland: February 2005))

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1900 1950 1990 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2010 2020 2030 2040

65+ (%)

THE ELDERLY CITIZENS OF HELSINKI 1980-2007

AND THE PROGNOSIS UNTIL 2025

0

10 000

20 000

30 000

40 000

50 000

60 000

70 000

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025

65-74-vuotiaat

75-84-vuotiaat

Yli 85-vuotiaat

The Population of Helsinki by age group

(January 2006)

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

0v 1-6v 7-15v 16-49v.

50-64 65-74v75-84v 85+v

5 892 30 992 48 746

287 579

109 834

40 51927 297

10 046

Support for informal care in Helsinki

• Many ways to support informal care families• Municipal services

– Caregivers allowance – Short term care in institutions

– Day care for the elderly– Centres for informal care– Occasional help to families (1-4 hours) who are recieving caregivers

allowance, not home care – Peer support for caregivers– Home care– Social workers services

• Support from voluntary organisations: information and guidance, peer groups, courses, home help, recreation events, projects etc.

• Services from the church: peer groups, recreation events etc.

The aim of the law of informal care

• To promote the care of person who is receiving informal care

• To ensure adequate social and health care services

• To ensure the continuity of care

• To support the role of caregivers

The amount of the people who have recieved caregivers

allowance in 2007

• The disabled 791 • The mentally disabled 481• The elderly (over 65 ) 1852• Totally 3113

The amounts of caregivers allowance in 2008

According to category of care intensity

one 1320 e/month

two 662 e /monththree 448 e /monthfour 317 e/month

Who can receive caregivers allowance?

• The person who needs care at home because of lowered funtional capacity, sickness, disability or other reason

• The relative- a spouse, partner or children – or some other person close to client is ready to take care of her/him

• Caregivers own health and funtional capacity are adequate enough to the requirements of care

• Informal care with other social and health services is sufficient for the welfare, health and security of the person who needs care

• Home is suitable for health and other circumstances to the carer

Three free days a month

• People recieving a caregivers allowance are entitled to 3 free days in a month during a period when the nature of the care they have provided has been very demanding

• During this time the municipality is responsible for providing care to the client– Short-term care in elderly care home or service

house or help to home

• Substitute for the caregiver

Other forms to support the families

• Day care for the elderly• Centres for informal care

– Now three, coming one more still– Network model

• Occasional help to home (1-4 hours)to families who are recieving caregivers allowance, not home care

• Peer groups for people who are receiving caregivers allowance– Municipals, voluntary organisations, church

Developing the informal care in Helsinki

• The aim is to enlarge informal care• Secure sufficient services under the free time of

caregiver • Support informal care families by many

alternative ways• 4 centres for informal care• Developing day care for the needs of informal

care families• Exploit experiences of the caregivers• Strenghten co-operation with partners