1. Some Facts about Finland
MEP (Multidiciplinary European Program) March 2011, France, Lille
Marjut Heiskanen, Laura Krekula, Sanna Leppälä, Henna Muotka, Ninni-Ingrid Nurmos, Jaakko Tuomi

2. Finland is situated between Sweden and Russia
Population: 5.4 million
Capital: Helsinki
Currency unit: Euro
Total area km²
Municipalities: 342
Unemployment rate, 8.2 % (Population aged 15–24 the unemployment rate is % )

3. Population by age, % in Finland 1995-2020 (National Institute for Health and Welfare, 2010)

4. Life expectancy Males Females Males Females Males Females
Males Females Males Females Males Females
At age , , , , , ,0
At age , , , , , ,8

5. The Finnish Social Protection System:
the principle of universality (the right of all to a basic level of social protection regardless of where they live, their profession or economic position)
earnings-related benefits for employed persons
a strong public sector
a system based on tax funding and contributions (Rate of taxation 2008, % of GDP 42.8)
equal treatment (also for the elderly or ageing people)

6. Sanitary Aspects of Ageing
Laura Krekula

7. Health policy The number of elderly men has grown and keeps on going
The objective for Health policy is to maintain
good health
ensure that an independent life can continue as long as possible

8. Positive change the conditions of living have improved
education levels have increased
the general life styles have become healthier
availability of healthcare services has expanded
treatment and education methods have advanced
people have started to prevent and discover sicknesses earlier

9. Negative change The number of sanity disorders, allergies,
asthma, diabetes, breast and lung cancer
among women and prostate cancer among
men has increased
The most common risk factors are
overweight
lack of physical exercise
smoking

10. Medical care All residents in Finland are entitled to health
care and medical treatment
“The health care guarantee”
Municipalities have to care for major part of
the health services.
Health promotions are aimed at preventive
actions to improve population health and
welfare

11. Socioeconomic difference in health
The differences between socioeconomic groups have steepened
Population in Western and Northern Finland are more morbid than in East and South of Finland
Educated and wealthy pensioners have a longer life expectancy and better health and functional capacity than pensioners from the other groups

12. Welfare technology
The number of nurses can ´t keep up with the number of patients
The technology will help in both treating
diseases and promoting health
Healthcare technology tries to find solutions
to how welfare can be increased through
technology

13. The most characteristics diseases among elderly people

14. The Challenge Typical vs. minor and untypical symptoms and signs
Syndromes might become hard to identify This is a normal phenomena that involves all elderly people
The aging process is unique for individuals, but the diversity among them is increasing

15. Problem & Solution The aging population is a challenge for the
health care system. In the long term the
emerging diseases and other characteristics
of the elderly health care will grow and
become even bigger challenge
 Solution for the problem above is an increase of specialized healthcare personnel such as nurses and doctors?

16. Psychological Aspects of Aging
Ninni-Ingrid Nurmos

17. Psychological aspects of aging
When people are getting older, they have to forgo several things and habits in their life.
This may change person´s self image.
In these kinds of situations person may feel that he cannot control his life and that his life is now meaningless.

18. Psychological aspects of aging
Different mental disorders are relatively common among elderly people.
Moreover elderly people suffer different mental problems concerning somatic diseases.
In Finland 21 % of women and 14 % of men over 65 years old have some kind of mental disorder.
However, only 10 % of Finnish people over 65 years old are patients in mental health care.

19. Psychological aspects of aging
Depression is one of the most central mental disorders of elderly people.
Estimating 15-22% of Finnish men and % of Finnish women over 65 years old suffer from mild depression.
Risk factors are female gender, previous depression terms, depression appearing in family, other disorders, loneliness, lack of social support and economical problems.
Depression may appear as disregard, apathy, lack of interest, problems to live normal life and survive daily functions, irritability, helplessness, being weepy, having regrets and self-destruction thoughts.

20. Psychological aspects of aging
Every second day some Finnish senior commits suicide.
The most common reason for that is depression.
Usually Finnish senior has contacted health care before committing suicide but he has not told about his intensions.

21. Psychological aspects of aging
Substance abuse, especially use of alcohol and prescription drugs, among older people is increasing in Finland.
In Finland the use of mental drugs is relatively common among elderly people. Usually the drug is for some symptom or symptoms and the person is not having any diagnostic mental disorder.

22. Psychological aspects of aging
The amount of the different mental and cognitive disorders is growing in Finland because of the strong change of the age-composition.
Luckily the prognosis in these disorders is as good as in other ages as long as therapeutics is professional.
The problem is getting elderly people to take a contact to health care and get this contact long-termed. Mental problems of elderly people should be seen as serious as younger people.

23. Social Aspects of Ageing
Henna Muotka

24. Social Aspects of Ageing
Social relations, social support and social activity are connected to elderly physical and mental functioning
Good social relations help old people to cope with the different losses in life and help to adapt to diseases.

25. Loneliness in Finland
Every third old person in Finland feels loneliness!
Too often in Finland old person lives home alone without family and friend near
Elderly often live far away from their children so it might be that they don’t have anyone who can take care of them and who visit them
The distances are long in Finland, especially in the countryside, so it can be difficult for elderly to visit friends and relatives.

26. Is there anything we can do to help elderly who feels themselves lonely?
Voluntary work, which means that volunteers can be friends with elderly.
Day activity for elderly. Day activity includes for example discussion, singing together, occupation and outdoors activities.

27. Grandparenthood
In Finland increasingly rare grandparents live with their grandchildren
In recent decades the role of grandparent has been highlighted again
Grandparents` satisfaction with life increases when they have possibility to meet their grandchildren often and do things together with them

28. Cultural Aspects Of Ageing
Sanna Leppälä

29. Situation In Finland
In Finland, the signs of ageing have been substantial for many years.
In 60 years age structures in Finland have turned upside down: before the wars and during them the ten-children-families were not a specialty.
Agricultural culture conditions under big child-flocks were thought to bring the so-called labor force to replace the family and they were supposed to do the economy works, then when the parents no longer existed.
Another reason for large child-flocks, of course, could also be a lack of knowledge of contraception.

30. …Continues
In many, especially in Southern European countries, the grandparents are exactly the same way as the family of their own sisters and parents.
Often when the grandparents entry into old age, and become more helpless they are taken up residence in the same household with children and grandchildren.
In Finland, this is quite rare: the grandparents are encouraged to be doing at home as long as possible and for many people the idea of elderly home is even scary.

31. Assistance From Culture?
Thousands of years have been believed that art has a power of healing. Even during the ancient art of used as a tool of therapy, such as the flute music was thought to heal from depression, theater performances generated a strong emotional charge out neuroses.
Recent clinical trials verify this belief. Cultural activities and the arts seem to be really important and a positive impact on human health.

32. Cultural Problems Of Ageing
Depression  unwillingness for participating different kind of cultural situtations
Isolation
Self-esteem –problems
Occupancy problems  old people’s homes  carrying capacities
Loneliness

33. Solutions To Problems More social activities to the senior citizens
Concerts
Museum exhibitions
Theatre  as a hobby
Better home services

34. Economic Aspects of Ageing
Marjut Heiskanen

35. Economic Aspects of Ageing
Ageing effects on the economic growth and labor supply
In Finland the ageing labor force and large generation retirement will increase from year 2010.
Pension age will increase in proportion to the number of people of working age dramatically in the first half of this millennium.

36. Ageing of public spending rises causes high demands on the management of public finances. This in turn leads to tighter labor income taxation.
Ageing of the population affects the economy, above all, the labor market and public finances carried out by intergenerational transfers through.

37. The effects of social spending
Social expenditure as a proportion of the total value of production will rise significantly in the next twenty years.
Social expenditure growth depends primarily on the growth of pension expenditures as well as social and health needs of growth. Social expenditure growth in the financial means increase of the total tax rate .

38. Age dependent cost population ageing will have the fastest and strongest impact in the pension expenditure
Pension expenditure will also increase the life expectancy.
Retirement age increase in the number of working age, and it causes higher tax expenses in the future.

39. The effects in regional differences of ageing people
In rural areas and small municipalities, retirement age and the elderly proportion of the population is much bigger than in cities.
Ageing may move to provide better services and for their children after towns and growth centers if the supply of services in country areas can not be secured.
Finland winning migratory areas have recently found only in the Helsinki region and its immediate surroundings,

40. Aspects of Labour Jaakko Tuomi

41. Ageing society and increasing share of pensioners
Ageing is considered to be a significant political and economic challenge
The baby boom generation
 Number of pensioners will increase
 Lack of work power
It may push the economic growth down to 1 per cent

42. Aspects of labour Ageing affects to everyone: Individuals
Enterprises and organizations
The entire society

43. Individuals Problem/possibility -working ability -health -know-how
-work motivation
-burn-out
-unemployment

44. Enterprises and Organizations
Problem/possibility
-productivity
-competitiveness
-absence from work
-unwillingness to change
-work community
-working environment
-supply of labour

45. The Society Problem/possibility -work- and pensionable attitudes
-ageism
-retirement age
-disability to work
-maintenance relations
-pension expenditures
-expenditures of the health care

46. Solution Age Management
Age management is needed in different stages of decision-making so that labour-, educational- and retirement policies would support the employment opportunities of the ageing people
Good Age Management ensures the passage of the tac-it knowledge from generation to next