We are publishing writings on our website from the essay collection Vision 2040 – When Finland Acted Boldly and Without Prejudice. Gubbe’s CEO, Meri-Tuuli Laaksonen, envisions that by 2040, elderly services and the care industry in Finland will have undergone a major transformation.
In 2040, the elderly care crisis and the shortage of caregivers in Finland are things of the past. We live in a time where every elderly person in need of assistance can easily access services.
Let’s take a few steps back to how this situation was achieved, starting from 2024, when the caregiver shortage was enormous, and elderly care services were in a major crisis. The problem was so big that it was difficult to tackle, often leading to it being swept under the rug. It was a ticking time bomb, as the issue was set to grow exponentially with the aging population.
What has our company created by the 2040s? Gubbe has developed a comprehensive recruitment and onboarding process that ensures assistants receive high-quality and thorough training, as well as the readiness to work with the elderly without prior experience or education in the field. Based on our experience, the model works exceptionally well. The most important factor affecting quality is the person’s own motivation and interest; everything else can be learned, and training doesn’t need to take years (the training period for a care assistant is about 7 months). The solution lies in certifying a lighter training model. Requirements include, for example, sufficiently comprehensive training, a responsible person in the company, and an educational institution as a third party overseeing the completion of the qualification.
So, what was done in Finland to achieve this situation by the 2040s?
Between 25-75% of home care visits were separated from the responsibilities of the regional welfare authorities and assigned to support services, with these visits being carried out by less extensively trained workers (Gubbe assistants). The remainder of home care services were provided by practical or registered nurses. This brought significant cost savings and a solution to the caregiver shortage. The transition in the regional welfare authorities was accelerated by incentives. Budgeting was directed toward preventive elderly services—a new preventive care model was created as a solution to growing needs. This removed or at least delayed the need for heavy services. Preventive services were provided through regular visits by support service personnel, with a focus on activating and rehabilitative activities. The staffing ratios in nursing homes were updated so that lightly trained staff (Gubbe assistants) could cover shifts, meaning that the training model was certified.
A tax deduction model, similar to Sweden’s, was introduced in Finland, encouraging the elderly to pay for their own services—the customer paid 40%, and the state covered the remaining 60%. The use of light entrepreneurs as part of elderly services was made possible, allowing people to work flexibly in their chosen model.
Sufficient technology was provided in the homes of the elderly to enable remote visits and AI-assisted guidance. Technology and AI eliminated a significant portion of the need for physical visits and supported medication intake, meals, household chores, and physical activity. A familiar AI friend was personalized based on the elderly person’s interests, chatting pleasantly or even giving the weather forecast. A mandatory course on elderly services was introduced in secondary education to address the resource shortage and increase interest in the field.
What could prevent the vision from being realized? Above all, the rigid bureaucracy and slow pace of the public sector. Currently, there is too little innovation and courage to try new things in the public sector, and staff are not sufficiently encouraged to embrace change (challenges in change management). Even if the law allows new models, the operations of AVI and Valvira ultimately ensure that new innovations and projects are not implemented. Their incentives should be shifted toward ensuring service quality and security for the elderly, not the other way around.
To Finnish lawmakers, I want to send this message: be bold, implement the measures mentioned above, and we will achieve the envisioned future of elderly care in 2040.
Meri-Tuuli Laaksonen, Gubbe
(Picture: Vision 2040 launch event 19.8.2024.)