The document discusses legislation, sectors, ethics and challenges regarding social work with the elderly in Finland. It provides perspectives from social workers on their roles and responsibilities. The public sector funds and provides most healthcare through municipalities. The private sector supplements these services. The third sector pursues social goals through non-profit organizations. Social workers evaluate clients' needs, arrange services, and build support networks. They must consider all stakeholders and distribute resources fairly. The number of elderly people is growing, which will change the future of this work. Social workers aim to empower clients and address issues like loneliness.

2. LEGISLATION
PRIVATE SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR
THIRD SECTOR
ETHICS AND METHODS
SOCIAL ISSUES AND DILEMMAS
COMMUNITY WORK

3. LEGISLATION
• The fundamental value under the Finnish Constitution guarantees the
right to a good treatment, informed choices, dignity, security and care
recipient involvement – Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, 2008
• Qualification and certification of workforce
” All encompassing care of
elderly including
pharmalogical treatment,
nursing, rehabilitation and
palliative care.”
- Marja Tammisto, Onnitalo
TEAM
Doctors
Nurses
Social counsellor / instructor
Occupational therapist
Physiotherapist
Demobilization nurse
Other social workers
Instructors
Home care employees
These professionals work very closely together as a
team to reach their objectives

4. “It’s a natural thing to do
social work because
it gives a wide area to
work.”
– Birgitta Tirkkonen,
Itäkeskus
• National Curriculum for long-term care workers
• Regulation and Inspections
• Long-term care providers
”More and more sick elderly
are treated at home with
the help of home care
and from the hospitals
they send sick elder people
back at their homes because
there are no resources.”
- Pirjo Peltonen, Roihuvuori

5. • Role of Municipalities (342): Arrange, provide, purchase and sensitize about available health and
long-term care (LTC) services for their residents
“Social worker also tries to
assemble a necessary network
to support the acculture
(service user going back
home.”
- Pirjo Peltonen, Roihuvuori

6. Public sector
• Publicly funded healthcare as in taxation,
designed to meet the cost of all or most
healthcare needs from a publicly managed fund
• Municipalities are responsible for organising social
welfare and health care
• Public healthcare is available to all permanent
residents in Finland, regardless of their financial
situation
• Health care services are provided by municipal
health centers and district hospitals
• Roihuvuori Diverse Service Centre business idea
is that everybody gets equally good health care
• Different kind of services for over 75 years old
“Social worker works with multi-professional network, next of kin
(immediate family) and cooperation partners. My job is to
evaluate the need of services used by the service user and
arrange different kind of services. For example by finding a long-
term placement.”
- Pirjo, Peltonen, Roihuvuori

7. Private sector
• The private sector is managed by foundations, associations or
enterprises and is not controlled by the government.
• Private health services supplement public services and they can
sell their services for municipalities or directly to clients.
• Quarter of all social and health services
• Service accommodation is one of the most usual services
“More than 70% of the staff that works in care taking have
experienced violence or felt threatened. The continuous rush,
insufficient brakes, staff resources and grey overtime work are big
work safety hazards.” (Helsingin Uutiset, 2016).
” All encompassing
care of elderly
includes pharma
logical treatment,
nursing, rehabilitation
and palliative care.”
- Marja Tammisto,
Onnitalo
” More activities and
day trips for the
elderly so they could
visit other places
rather than institutes
and they could meet
other people.”
- Marja Tammisto,
Onnitalo

8. Third sector
• Sometimes described as voluntary sector,
third sector is managed by organizations
• It’s a social sector that does not aim to
profit
• Usually pursues the organizations or groups
social goals
• They get their funding on public donations
or on grant arrangements
• Eläkkeensaajien keskusliitto: second
largest retirement organization in Finland
” The goal of the union is to strengthen the position and rights of the
pensioner, and especially influence on the retirement allowance poverty.”
“We want to raise national pensions by different means like index check-
ups and pension income taxation should not be harsher than salary
income. Elderly persons should be heard. There is a lot to improve in the
services and the service charges should be reasonable.”
- Tarja Pajunen, EKL

11. ”Our most important partners are the multiprofessional teams
who work closely together in order to reach the wanted result
with a client.”
BirgittaTirkkonen, Itäkeskus
The relationship between the
service user and worker is not
a private one and may include
members of the team and other
health care professionals and
service providers.

12. “You have to be diplomatic.
While working with residents
and their relatives, you need to
have your antennas on and
inquire what would be the best
way of proceeding to the best
solution where everybody would
be as happy as possible.”
– Birgitta Tirkkonen, Itäkeskus
The social worker has
to keep in mind the
needs and the interests
of other people as well
as the service user

13. “Among other things, the social worker
evaluates the need of services used by the
service user and arranges different kind of
services. Social worker also tries to
assemble a necessary network to support
the service user who is returning home.”
- Pirjo Peltonen, Roihuvuori
He/she has the duty to
distribute the resources of
the agency fairly between
individual service users and
to manage them efficently

14. METHODS
• Main goal of social work is to look for the
best possible wellbeing for the people,
groups and communities.
• The other knowledge
• Personal growth
• Empowering
• Self-determination

15. WHAT KIND OF COMPETENCES?
• Diplomacy
• Listening
• Patience
• Open mindless
• Seeing things from different views

16. Number of elderly people is going to grow rapidly in following years.
We asked from the social workers what things are probably going to change in the future.
• Elderly people from different cultures
• Worry about the economical situation and how they affect
• Condition of the residents which has gone worse all the time
FUTURE OF ELDERLY WORK?
“I have been thinking one
day at a time, let´s see
what happens.
These people need to be
taken care of anyway.”
- Birgitta Tirkkonen,
Itäkeskus
“I´m trustful that there
comes this voice of sense
somewhere, since there is
going to be a big amount
of older people and we
just need to take care of
them no matter what.”
- Birgitta Tirkkonen,
Itäkeskus

17. CHALLENGES
“Sometimes it needs
a lot of balancing
between situations and
ask consultation from
doctors or supervisors
what there is to do”
BirgittaTirkkonen, Itäkeskus
“Also if the person thinks that they don’t
need a trustee or help even though it
clearly is for their own good.”
“There can be issues like refusing on
taking medication or treatment of
wounds. Then we have to think really
carefully what to do because if the
patients aren’t treated, their health
condition is going to get worse.”
“Same thing goes also
with the resident who
needs a trustee, like
example in a case
where person cannot
take care of own money
situation and there is
no relatives who could
handle money issues or
give help”

18. Social issues
• Have significant impacts
• Loneliness
• Frustrations
• Social isolation
• Inability to continue to work
• Boredom
• Financial stresses
• Inability to independently manage regular activities
of living
“ In situation like these it is important to
have the help within the work community.
The work can be mentally really hard, it
really depends on the day and how is the
service user feeling that day.”
- Pirjo Peltonen, Roihuvuori

19. The low versus human rights
Stereotyping
Ageism
Useless
Discrimination
Different
”I want to create sense
of community, reduce
feelings of loneliness
and bring quality to the
life in facility.”
–BirgittaTirkkonen, Itäkeskus

20. • Educate society regarding elderly
• Needs
• Desires
• Hope
• Future
• Ambitions
• Legacy
Social services - advocate
BENEFICENCE / NON-MALEFICENCE
“ The elderly were once
young, and they have the
same needs and desires as
we all have.”
- Birgitta, Itäkeskus
DO GOOD

21. COMMUNITY WORK WITH ELDERLY PEOPLE
“I love to listen to them, to their
stories to their past”
- BirgittaTirkkonen, Itäkeskus
They seek to
empower people to
become subjects
rather than objects in
their lives
Representation,
Acting and arguing
for the interests of
their clients

22. REFERENCES
• Social - and health ministry, www.stm.fi
• www.kunnat.net
• www.finlex.fi
• www.soste.fi
• Roihuvuori Diverse Service Center, http://www.hel.fi. Pirjo Peltonen, social worker. 2016.
• Onnitalo, www.onnitalo.fi, Marja Tammisto, director of the service house. 2016.
• Helsingin Sanomat, Vasantola Satu, 20.10.2016. http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/a1476854021669
• Eläkkeensaajien keskusliitto, www.elakkeensaajat.fi, Tarja Pajunen, sociopolitical adviser. 2016.
• Itäkeskus Service Center, http://www.hel.fi. Birgitta Tirkkonen, social worker. 2016.
• OECD Questionnaire on Long-term Care Quality (2012). OECD Health Data 2012.
• Country Note (June 2013): Finland - A Good Life in Old Age © OECD/European Commission.
• https://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Finland-OECD-EC-Good-Time-in-Old-Age.pdf
• Juhila (2012), sosiaalityöntekijöinä ja asiakkaina, 106
• https://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Finland-OECD-EC-Good-Time-in-Old-Age.pdf
• Crisp, Beth (2016), “Contemporary Social Work Studies: Spirituality and Social Work”, Farnham: Ashgate.
http://ocw.jhsph.edu/courses/agingpopulations/pdfs/lecture14.pdf
• Banks, Sara (2012) ”Ethics and Values in social work, third edition,Palgrave McMillan
• Payne Malcom (2015) Modern Social Work Theory, third edition,Palgrave McMillan (295-315)